Digimon Millennium
by chiyuu-kun
Summary: It's been four years since the team beat Malomyotismon and a new evil has risen from a growing darkness. Will they be prepared yet again to defend both worlds? Or will they get thrown of by what's happening to them ...DavisXKari, YoleiXKen, MattXSora
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, if I did then Yolei wouldn't have been much of a whiner and Davis would not have been so hot-headed.

Author's Note: Hey guys, this is my first fanfic ever on so go easy on me! I wanted to try something new out of something pretty old so I decided to go back to the time when our heroes of Digimon 02 were starting their new lives, without fighting evil, really. Oh and this supports Daikari, so if any of you are against this shipping, please don't read! No flames! Other couples are Kenlei and Sorato.

**Digimon Millenium**

Chapter 1

Living The Impossible

"Did you guys see how much work Mr. Takani gave us? Now there's great weight on my back due to a real heavy pile of dumb old books!"

Thirteen-year-old Davis Motomiya was walking out of the school gates with his friends who, like him, were exhausted and depressed from the amount of work they had done or was either to be done.

"Don't feel that way, Davis. Look on the bright side, at least we're learning a lot," Cody Hida said, trying to sound convincing but failed in succeeding.

Davis let out a noise which sounded like, "Sufrinevillottalearn."

Kari giggled despite the situation they were in. Sometimes it amazed her that Davis really made her laugh in some of the deepest situations.

"Jeez … I'm starting to agree with Davis, we've changed from saving-the-world superheroes to average, everyday kids who go to school, come back, play do homework … all that stuff," Yolei said, glumly, "Makes me wish there were more dangers more than ever …"

"Yolei, don't say things like that!" Ken snapped, glaring at her.

Yolei sighed, "But how can we just come back to our normal lives after we've just saved the world from a crazy Digimon …"

TK, who was strolling alongside Kari, nodded, "Yolei's right … it just feels weird, you know … after all that had happened …"

Davis sighed, "I miss the Digiworld, I mean, I know we can go there anytime but you know, not constantly. And I really want to visit Primary Village, it reminds me so much of the time when me and Veemon played soccer with all the babies."

He chuckled at the memory and the others also smiled, all walking down memory lane. It seemed only a week ago that they had all saved the world from Malomyotismon, and it seemed like only yesterday when they had helped Tai and Matt destroy Diaboromon

They all stopped at TK's house which was the nearest to the school. TK walked towards the door and opened it with his keys, sighing.

"Well, looks like tomorrow's another day, eh?" TK said, smiling weakly.

"Looks that way," Davis replied, nodding, "Well, looks like we'll have to catch up on ya later, TA!"

TK frowned, annoyed, "Its _TK_!"

"Yeah, whatever TB …" Davis said sophisticatedly, apparently not noticing the annoyance in TK's voice, "We'll catch ya later, anyhow!"

TK glared back at him as the team started moving on, "You nut!"

Davis laughed out loud just in earshot for TK to hear, before retaining his position in front of the group.

"You seriously haven't changed have you, Davis," Ken said, raising his brow humorously, "After all we've been through you still can't remember TK's name!"

"Does it matter?" Davis said, shrugging his shoulders, "It's not that I should get used to it but it's more likely that TF_ himself_ should get used to the fact that I give him whatever name I please."

Everyone sweatdropped … sometimes things never change.

They stopped at Yolei's place from where inside, shouts were being heard.

"Er … Yolei, is everything OK?" Davis asked, blinking.

Yolei sighed and said, plainly, "my brothers are having a fight over who gets to use the game consol that Dad brought us yesterday … they've been fighting over it since it was brought to the house."

Kari exchanged looks with Davis while Ken bit his lip, struggling to keep from giggling. Yolei walked towards the front door and knocked on it, rolling her eyes.

Davis, Kari and Ken decided to move onwards out of there before things got ugly. They knew how Yolei could be when she was absolutely furious.

"See you tomorrow, Yolei!" Davis cried over his shoulder as Kari and Cody waved back towards her.

Just as predicted, when they were turning the corner they heard Yolei shouting at the top of her lungs, "YOU REALLY HAVE TO EMBARRESS ME IN FRONT OF MY FRIENDS DON'T YOU?"

Davis grinned low as he vaguely heard her brother's reply.

"Hey Davis, are you ready for the soccer match against my team next week?" Ken asked his best friend who was whistling.

"What kind of question is that Ken, you know Davis … he's gonna win for his team! Aren't ya Davis?" Kari said, smiling at Davis.

Davis couldn't help but blush as he nodded his head, "Yeah!" Even though his crush on Kari had long disappeared, he would always blush whenever Kari smiled her best at him. He never actually figured out why though.

Cody grinned and said, "That's our Davis, full of courage, bravery and miracles!"

Davis stared at him, blinking, "But Cody, those are my Digimentals."

His friends sighed and sweatdropped. Even after all this time he was always kind of childish.

"Hey guys, I forgot I've got Kendo practice! I'll see you tomorrow!" Cody cried, taking a quick look at his wristwatch and then racing to the left.

"Good luck with beatin' that Dillon guy you told us about!" Davis cried, waving.

Next it came for Ken's turn to leave the group as they were standing in front of his front door. "Well, see you guys tomorrow! It's gonna be a long week seeing as we have a soccer match! Right, Davis!"

"You got that right, Ken! See ya!" Davis called back as Ken went inside.

"Good luck practicing," Kari said, sarcastically. She remembered the last time Ken had been practicing with Davis over at Davis's place; they had crashed the next door window and had to save their pocket money for months before helping the poor people pay.

They heard Ken laugh.

Davis and Kari then turned around and headed back down the street, each chatting about something that was happening in school.

"I can't believe I got voted to be the captain of the soccer team!" Davis cried happily, throwing out his arms in celebration.

Kari smiled, "With the rate you're going, Davis, I've got a pretty strong feeling you're gonna be on top of the soccer world ... it was predictable, really."

Davis grinned, "Wow, I knew I was good but who knew I was _that_ good!"

Soon enough, they arrived outside the Kamiya apartment buiding. Kari headed inside, before flashing a smile at Davis, "See you tomorrow, Davis!"

"See ya!" Davis cried, waving as he walked of towards his apartment which was only a few blocks away. He sighed as he looked up at the starry night sky, almost thinking he was there in the Digital World.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: No, I do not own Digimon!

Author's Note: Alright, this is it! The second chapter of Digimon Millenium! Thanks for the reviews.

Sorry for taking so long with uploading the chapter, it's just that the net wasn't working for ages and my Annual Exams had just ended, so I was pretty busy.

I know the first chapter was kind of short and it didn't include the Digimon, but right now they're gonna be joining the Destined. I guarantee the next chapters are gonna be much longer! And also, this chapter is gonna be three years late from where the first chapter ended. RnR please.

And if any of you TK fans want him to start a love life or something like that, don't hesitate to ask and send an e-mail. Just remember, Daikari 4ever!

RnR, Enjoy!

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**Digimon Millenium**

Chapter Two

Dark, Cold and Grey

Tick … tick … tick … tick …

It seemed as if time was deliberately slowing down as the big hand on the clock in Davis Motomiya's mathematics class moved with tardiness. This was the last period of the day, and in five minutes' time, the bell would ring, declaring freedom for another day.

Davis was watching the timepiece for a while now, and each minute seemed like an end of an eternity. Or so it seemed to him.

He sighed and started tapping his pen on his desk as his eyes scanned the faces of his classmates, which included Kari and TK, who were also taking this class with him. Some were close to hitting the sack, others were sending notes to one another, and most of them were watching the clock on the wall like Davis was doing a while ago.

The Digidestined had grown up from the last time four years ago when they had defeated MaloMyotismon.

Davis, Kari and TK went to the same High School, while the older Digidestined were away at college. Yolei was going to start college next year, while Cody was still in Junior High and Ken was at his private school close to home at the far side of town.

Davis no longer had his hair spiked up into an afro. Instead, he had spiked it sideways but his fringe and bangs still hung forward. Many people didn't recognize him that much when he first changed his hairdo and that got him really frustrated. He wore his school uniform with the green jacket unbuttoned and no tie, while TK did the same except he did have a tie. Kari wore the same kind of uniform that Sora had worn when she was at High School. A big change in her was that she allowed her hair to grow just below shoulder length and it gave her a graceful look.

Davis saw that Kari was paying close attention to what the teacher was saying, which sounded to him like flies humming, while TK, who was sitting beside him, was casually doodling on his notebook. Davis sighed again and deposited his pen into his container. He decided packing up was the only reasonable thing to do while doing nothing.

As he was about to close up his notebook and math book, he was knocked on the head by something hard and small. He turned his head sharply, wanting to punish the one who threw that item at him till he saw his soccer teammate, Seiko grinning and gesturing towards the floor.

Davis nodded, bent down and picked up the small bundled-up paper from the floor. He hid it inside his jacket pocket before Mr. Fuji caught a glimpse at what he was doing.

"Pssst, Davis,' a voice whispered from beside him.

Davis blinked and turned his head to see TK, "Huh?"

"We're going to Frosty's today after school. Ken and Yolei are also gonna be there, so you'd better come as well," TK said, quietly so only Davis could hear.

Davis nodded, lightening up, "You can count on me!"

To him, Frosty's Ice Cream Corner was the only place in the world where the best kind of ice-creams and cones were sold, and he went there with his friends sometimes at the weekends or after school.

Davis unfolded the piece of paper Seiko had thrown at him and saw that it was a message.

Davis,

Coach says we have to be here on Sunday. Extra soccer practice for the upcoming championship. Be there!

Davis turned his head back to Seiko and gave him a brief nod. Davis's reputation as a soccer pro still hadn't changed much from four years ago. Let's just say he improved a lot since he had become the captain of the soccer team.

BRIING!

The bell had finally rung and cheers and chants filled the class as they all filled out of the room, thankful for the end of the last period.

Kari walked towards Davis and smiled, "So, are you going to come today?"

"Yeah," Davis replied and as TK joined them, they walked to the crowded school corridors.

Veemon, Gatomon and Patamon were waiting for them near the school staircases, where they headed to after they had collected their homework and bags.

Davis swung his duffel bag over his shoulder and grinned as Veemon came bounding into him, "Hey buddy!"

"Davis!"

Patamon hovered over to TK and settled himself onto his now-hatless head; his favorite spot.

"Hi TK, how was your day?"

"Fine pal, yours?"

Even though Digimon were known in the Real world now, they weren't allowed in classes for it was said to distract students from their studies. Veemon and the others just waited outside and hung around till the day was over so they could meet up with their partners.

The three teenagers and Digimon walked through the school gates and out to the street. Davis was listening to Veemon's ranting about his day and was replying at the right times. TK noticed that over the years, since they had defeated MaloMyotismon, Davis had gotten a bit mature or in other words, he had slightly grown up. Apart from the fact that he still ate a lot, slept a lot and was stubborn as always, he was now an easy-going person with a good sense of humor in him.

TK also noticed that Kari was getting attached to Davis the more they were together, and Davis was showing her more respect than he used to. Right now, the two were talking about something they had seen on TV with an occasional word from Veemon or Patamon.

When they arrived at Frosty's Ice-cream Corner, they noticed two very familiar figures and certain Digimon sitting at a table near the windows.

"Yolei, Ken!" Kari said happily, and she walked over with Davis and TK following.  
Veemon, Gatomon and Patamon ran to join Wormmon and Hawkmon.

Yolei squealed in delight and she shifted over to make room for her best friend. At once the two girls started talking.

Davis exchanged a high-five routine with Ken and TK simply smiled.

"So, how's it going with you two?" TK said once they had settled down and ordered ice-cream sodas.

Ken smiled at that statement and Yolei grinned. The two of them had started dating over two years ago and their relationship was growing as time passed. And whenever Davis made fun of Ken being a chicken when he wasn't dating Yolei, he shot right back by telling him that he wasn't in a serious relationship yet. This made Davis shut up.

Once their sodas were served, they began eating and started discussing certain topics. Everyone seemed pretty relaxed and refreshed, except Ken. He noticed something strange.

There was a woman seated a single table at the corner, and even though she was reading a broadsheet, she kept glancing over at them. She was dressed completely in grey, and even her hair was striped in light grey over black. She wore dark shades and her nails were painted black.

Ken felt this uneasy feeling grow in the pit of his stomach, and he pushed his soda away.

"What's wrong, Ken?" Yolei said, noticing her boyfriend's behavior, "Aren't you hungry?"

"Er, yes. I'm not that hungry, Yolei, don't worry," Ken said, smiling.

Wormmon looked at him with worried eyes, "But Ken, you're not usually like this unless -"

He was cut off as Veemon clamped a hand over his mouth. He also seemed to have noticed the strange lady.

Kari narrowed her eyes and followed Ken's agonized gaze. She gasped slightly as she saw the lady with the newspaper. As soon as the lady looked up, she pretended to be busy with her ice-cream soda.

Gatomon got off her seat and said, "Let's get going."

"Right," TK said, placing his unfinished glass of ice-cream soda on the tray. The others agreed and when Ken paid the check, they exited the parlor.

"Who was she?" Hawkmon said, frowning.

Davis said, "She looked so … familiar. Evil was shown clearly in her."

As they crossed the street, and walked onto the sidewalk, Kari accidentally bumped into a man who was hurrying through them.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" she apologized and bent down to help pick his papers and files which had scattered out from his briefcase.

As she picked up a grey file, some papers slid out of it and she couldn't help but catch a glimpse of the highlighted words saying: Digital Portal DESTRUCTION.

Before she could read anything more, the man snatched the file and the bundle of papers. He looked at her for a fraction of a second, and Kari felt a chill run down her spine as she saw those cold gray eyes.

And then the man quickly stuffed the contents into his briefcase and ran off.

"What was that all about?" Veemon said, frowning.

Yolei nodded, adding, "Talk about 'being rude'."

Kari looked back at her friends and said in a weak voice, "Something's not right."

"What happened, Kari?" Davis asked.

She shuddered at the thought of those unnatural eyes and didn't reply till Yolei shook her shoulder lightly and called her name.

"Huh?" Kari looked at her and then the others. Her face was pale and she looked frightened.

Ken finally spoke up, "I think it'd be best if we give Kari some space."

After a moment of silence and an air full of tension, Kari at last told them what she had seen when those papers fell out of that particular grey file, and she also added that the man had eyes that were as cold and as gray as that woman at Frosty's.

"This is getting really creepy," Gatomon said, her tail twitching sharply, "And it seems as if the two of them are together in this."

TK nodded, folding his arms thoughtfully, "Yeah. What do you think those people were planning?"

"Don't know. It was probably some doodad that had something to do with a thingamajig," Veemon suggested hopelessly.

Davis said, "We might not know what it is yet, but we should be ready if something strange happens again."

The others agreed on this and decided to not to tell anyone about what they saw just incase it was a false alarm. As Yolei and Ken went their own way, TK turned to his friends and said, "What if it has something to do with the Digiworld? It did mention the Digital Portal in it."

Davis nodded, "That what I assume. It did seem strange."

He noticed that Kari was being unusually quite and it seemed as TK did too, because he was looking at her apprehensively.

"Kari. You okay?" Veemon asked, looking up at her.

The reply came in a nod.

"Hey, should I tell Tai about this?" TK said, bringing out his D-terminal, "He'll know what to do -"

Kari immediately snapped up and pushed TK's hand down, "No, TK. Don't tell Tai about this, please!"

TK glanced briefly at Davis who looked just as confused as he was before placing his D-terminal back into his pant pocket, "Alright then."

"You too, Davis," said Kari, turning to the male brunette who looked hesitant as if considering the matter at hand.

After a minute, Davis gave in and nodded. But he didn't look so sure. He knew Kari wouldn't ever tell anyone about anything dangerous just in case their lives got put in jeopardy. But she had to learn that she did have friends, and that they'd risk just about anything to help her.

Kari bent down and picked up Gatomon. She turned around, "Guys, I think I'll take the bus home."

Davis nodded, "Alright then. Take care."

"I will," Kari shot them a smile before walking down the street.

TK looked at Davis, "What do you think is happened?"

"With Kari?" Davis watched his friend walk away till she was out of sight. He felt some familiar presence in Kari's terrified eyes, and he didn't like it. It reminded him of the time when darkness had threatened to take her away, and they had almost lost her that time of it weren't for TK, Patamon and Gatomon.

Davis glanced back at TK, "I don't know. But I think it would be better if we kept an eye on her for a while, she needs the help of friends whenever these situations come."

"I know what you mean," TK said as they continued onwards, "Kari is tough, though. I remember when she fought against Dragomon with her powers when we found her."

"Yeah, but she hangs back whenever we try helping. I know Kari is strong, and we will find a way to gain her trust in us," said Davis, staring at the pavement.

TK smiled, "You really do care about her, don't you?"

Davis blinked, "Of course. She's my friend and I care about her like I do to any other friend."

"Right."

They walked in complete silence towards TK's apartment, each lost in his own thoughts. As they approached the door, TK turned to Davis and said, "You know what, Davis? You've really grown up."

Davis blinked, and then grinned, "I have? … Oh yeah, I have!"

"Forget that I even said that," TK laughed and fished out the front door keys from his jacket pocket.

Davis looked into the quiet, dark apartment, "Where's your Mom?"

"She's at her friend's place several blocks away. I'll be okay, though," TK said, opening the front door.

"Right … wish my Mom could leave me alone like that," said Davis, hunching his shoulders up.

TK picked up Patamon and smiled, "I'm sure she will sometimes. Well, see you tomorrow."

"Okay … Bye," Davis turned around and walked off into the night, Veemon next to him. TK watched him go and went back inside, "That dude seriously has grown …"

"And it's good to see that you two aren't fighting anymore like you used to," Patamon said, looking up at his partner, "And it's also nice to see Kari isn't the target anymore."

TK chuckled, "Nah. Kari's no prize to be won, you know. And Davis is a good guy once you get to know him."

"Four years ago, I wouldn't have believed you even said that," said Patamon.

"So did you get the documents?"

"Yes, they're with me."

It was over ten at night in Frosty's, and the same woman in grey was seated at the same table she was sitting at when the Digidestined were there, except this time, a man was seated with her. The same man who had bumped into Kari when the Digidestined were heading home.

He placed his briefcase onto the table and opened it carefully. The woman arched her eyebrows as he took out some files and papers.

'Very good," the woman said, "You have accomplished this task very well, Cyrius."

The man known as Cyrius, frowned, "Yes, but there is one problem."

"What?"

"As I was coming here, I collided into a few of those Digidestined children," Cyrius told her.

The woman nodded, "They came in here today as well, they might have suspected me …"

"Yes, but this time I faced them and they seemed really very wary of me. I think I managed to escape fairly quickly enough but they saw some clues of our plan."

The woman scooted back on her chair and stood up, banging her hands on the table, "They _what_!"

Cyrius held up his hands in an attempt to quiet her down, "Calm down Rita. Just let me finish … you can unleash your anger after I tell you what had happened."

Rita, breathing heavily, sat back down and folded her arms as she stared daggers at Cyrius.

"The Child of Light, Kari Kamiya … she saw one of the papers, the document about the destruction of the Digital Portal," Cyrius finished.

Rita didn't blow her top like Cyrius thought she would after her earlier explosion. Instead, she brought her fingers together as if knelt down for a prayer, and bent her head.

"Rita? What shall we do now?" Cyrius said, staring at his partner.

The woman brought her head back up again and she said, "The Digidestined are sure to be suspicious by now since the Child of Light must have told them what was in that paper. We must come up with a plan to keep them out of our way."

Cyrius nodded, and arranged the papers in a solemn manner, "Yes. They are sure to wreck our plans …"

"We have to do something about that Child of Light. After all, she does have the powers that sealed the portal to the Dark Ocean in the first place," Rita suggested, "And that portal will be very, very useful to us for furthering our achievements in our procedure."

Cyrius smiled surreptitiously, "A very good plan, Rita. But her friends should also be gotten rid of."  
A sly smirk crossed Rita's lips as well and she cackled. An employee at a nearby counter watched them with uncertainty as he had been doing for the past two hours.

He noticed that the lady had been here for pretty much the whole day, and now that the strange man had joined her, there would be no objective in their mind to leave. After a minute of watching them some more, he decided to throw them out seeing as Frosty's would close soon.

Clearing his throat, he walked towards their table and stood in front of them, folding his arms. Cyrius and Rita stopped what they were doing and looked up at him.

"Excuse me, but I suggest that you should leave because we are closing up soon," he said, summoning up the words as quickly as he could.

Rita stood up, slowly surveying his face before slowly saying, "Hm, but we have no intention to leave."

The man was taken aback by her powerful and confident words, and he shuddered at the look in those grey eyes. It took a while for him to shape himself up, but when he did, he frowned, "I'll tell you just this once before I'll have to kick you out. Leave."

Rita smirked, and said, "Alright. If you want to close this restaurant, then close it you shall. Only it'll be done by us."

Her face turned paler than it was if possible, and she brought her hand onto the employee's face, spreading a grey color over it from where her hand touched it. After a second, the man slumped onto the ground, dead.

Cyrius stood up, "He certainly deserved that. But it would be safer if we were to get out of here. People would start suspecting us."

He set all the papers and files into his briefcase and took hold of it, "Let's go."

Rita followed him out of Frosty's, and when they stood outside of it, she turned towards it, "One last thing."

She raised her hands and pushed them towards the direction of Frosty's, "Time to close up."

A strange flicker of air flew out her hands and rammed onto Frosty's structure, resulting in a humungous explosion. Cinders of ash flew everywhere and the whole building crumpled down.

Rita smiled, "Now that that's taken care of, let's carry on with our plan …"

The two partners-in-crime walked off down the street, absolutely oblivious to the commotion that had taken place.

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Author's Note: How was it? Better than the first chapter, I hope.

There will be surprises coming your way in the next chapter of the Digimon Millenium so stay tuned!

I really need your reviews on this and suggestions on how to improve what.

Until next time …


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon's characters, creatures or whatever you name! Oo

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**Digimon Millenium**

Chapter Three

The Rise of a New Evil

The cool, fresh air gently swayed across the early Thursday morning grounds as Kari and Gatomon walked towards the school for another day of studies and teaching. It was a pretty normal thing to do, walking to school. Except for the fact that it was an hour before time and not many students would be there.

As soon as Kari had gotten home yesterday from Frosty's, she had suddenly felt really drowsy and immediately fell asleep on the living room sofa. Her Mom had found her like that when she came back from the superstores and hadn't bothered to wake her up, thinking she might get up sooner or later. Which she didn't. Instead, Kari woke up fairly early in the morning and decided to take an early morning walk.

So here she was, hair combed, uniform clean and ironed, making her way towards her school with Gatomon by her side.

"I still don't get why you fell asleep so quickly last night," Gatomon said, rubbing her eyes wearily, "I slept pretty late …"

"Sorry Gatomon," Kari apologized, "I don't know the answer to that question myself, to tell you the truth."

"Uh huh," Gatomon said, swinging her tail to and fro. She sighed, "No, I'm sorry I'm being pretty mean on you. I shouldn't do that."

Kari smiled tightly, "You have the right to, Gatomon."

"I don't."

They walked on in silence, each absorbed in her own thoughts. Kari was still confused about why she had slept so quickly last night, and she was a little scared about the fact that she had fell weak right after the incident including those two weird people. Now that she thought about it, she felt absolutely rough after that happening.

"Kari."

Gatomon's voice interrupted her thoughts and Kari looked down at her partner. "Yeah?"

"Who do you think those people were?"

The question Gatomon was asking seemed to be an echo from Kari's thoughts. Kari sighed, 'I don't know Gatomon. They did seem strange … almost familiar …"

"Yeah," Gatomon narrowed her eyes and remained quiet. In fact, the two of them remained like that for the next forty-five minutes till their friends and other kids showed up at school.

TK and Patamon were among the most earliest kids, so they were surprised at seeing Kari and Gatomon already waiting at the gates since they were the ones who usually arrived after them.

"Hey," TK said, walking up to them with Patamon riding on his head as usual, "What brings you two here so early?"

Kari smiled, "Oh, you know … health is wealth."

"Right," TK said, smiling back, "And I'm too blind to see Davis all in shape and sporty even if he doesn't follow a healthy routine."

Kari blushed at that statement, but quickly waved it off, "C'mon. You know Davis; he's the _miracle worker_."

TK chuckled and said, "Yeah, you've got me there …"

Patamon hovered down to join Gatomon, smiling cutely like he always did whenever he saw any of his friends. "Hey Gatomon!"

"Hi Patamon"

Kari and TK watched their Digimon start goofing off before looking back at each other, each with a similar expression of fear. Kari could tell TK was also thinking about the incident that had occurred yesterday, even though it might have been a small moment of past realization and nothing more.

"Something's wrong …" TK muttered, narrowing his eyes and folding his arms. He looked at Kari whose cheeks still had that pale grey tint.

Just then, a girl who was standing nearby started squealing and cried, "Oh my gosh! Oh … My … Gosh! It's him!"

She jumped a little before running towards the gates where a very worn-out looking Davis was standing. Veemon stood next to him, not looking much less than his partner.

He swallowed hard as he saw a small horde of girls running at him, screaming out his name.

"Uh oh …" he started running in the opposite way after throwing his bag at Veemon. The girls followed him out the gates and out of sight.

Kari started giggling while TK just stared with humor turned full on in his face. Ever since Davis had become the star player and captain in his soccer team, not to mention good-looking, he was followed by girls nearly everywhere.

Veemon walked over to them with Davis's duffel bag, "Hi everyone."

"Hey Veemon," the others said in unison. They all heard a high-pitched scream behind the fence and turned around as Davis climbed it with difficulty because girls started pulling him back from the other side.

TK and Kari went over to help him, and with effort, managed to pull him to their side. He lay there on the grass, gasping for air.

Finally looking up, he gave them a faint smile, "Th-thanks …"

TK rolled his eyes, "I don't get it Davis. Why don't you just date one of them if you don't want them to keep running over?"

Davis stood up on shaky legs, before saying, "_Because _… I don't wanna end up like one of them guys over there."

He pointed over to a group of boys with shirts pulled up high and tight pants. Kari giggled again before pushing Davis's finger down, "It's rude to point, Davis. How many times have I told you that?"

"Sorry Boss…" Davis said, smiling. He flinched as Kari sent him a death-glare that would have sent the Dark Masters running off. "I meant … sorry Kari."

"Anyways," TK looked at Davis, "What brings you this early to school too?"

Davis frowned, "Too?"

"Yeah, Kari arrived before I did. Gatomon claims it's been one hour since they got here," TK said, glancing at Davis's now-concerned expression.

Davis looked at Kari who was staring at her shoes. His frown deepened, "Kari is there something you need to tell us?"

Kari raised a brow, "Erm, no. There's nothing at all, why do you ask?"

"Cause' you have been acting pretty weird since that whole collision episode with that strange man," Veemon perked up.

TK nodded, "Veemon's right. C'mon Kari, we're your friends. If it has something to do with the 'dark', then say it."

Davis knew what TK meant to say when he said dark. 'Dark' … A. K. A: The Dark Ocean. He saw Kari's face turn paler if possible.

To Kari's utmost relief, the bell rang just then. Davis also noticed her stiff shoulders relax a little. He sighed before taking his bag from Veemon with a quiet nod.

When they bade goodbye to their Digimon, the three friends walked into the school. Kari kept quiet as though deep in thought, so it wasn't surprising that she jumped as Davis placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him and he smiled.

"Hey. We're there for you, okay?" he said softly, and Kari managed to smile back.

After they collected their books and timetable from their lockers and went their separate ways, Kari couldn't help thinking about how kind and generous Davis had become over the years. Ever since he had started showing who he really was, Kari felt more comfortable around him. It was as if a butterfly had finally flown out of its cocoon. She blushed at that but didn't notice it as one of her friends, Mina came walking up. Mina also took chemistry with Kari, so every Thursday morning; they'd meet at Kari's locker and walk to class.

The school day passed with all the usual routines and classes much to Davis's loathing, but when it ended, the three friends met outside on the grounds which were packed with students and teachers. Their Digimon ran to join them, jumping into their arms the minute they reached them.

"Boy am I glad school's over …" Davis said, exhaling heavily as they walked out of the gates, "If the bell rang one minute late I would've been dead."

Kari looked at TK who was grinning. He and Davis took Thursday last period History, and according to Davis, the teacher, Mr. Hateshi held a grudge against him.

"What happened this time?" Kari asked, smiling with wit.

As Davis began telling her about how he 'accidentally' spilled ink all over Mr. Hateshi's new tie and white shirt, Patamon stiffened up on TK's head and turned white.

The three were rounding a corner that seemed strangely deserted. Veemon also became rigid and Gatomon started narrowing her eyes and twitching her ears to and fro.

TK noticed the Digimons' strange behavior and asked, "What's wrong, guys?"

After a moment, Patamon frowned, "I sense something …"

"What? What do you mean?" Kari said, with a look of concern as well as a bit of fear in her voice.

There was more silence after that as the three friends felt a strong wave of air rush over them. Davis looked around; it seemed as if the ambiance around them was starting to falter.

The scenes around them started swirling and they felt a huge flow of vertigo overcome them. The Digimon ran in front of their partners and stood, braced for what was going to happen. A small hurricane formed around them, kind of a dark grey in color, sinking into their consciousness abusively.

"What's happening?" Kari cried, clutching her head and shutting her eyes tight.

Davis stumbled closer to his friends, covering his head with his arms. He grabbed Veemon and the other Digimon.

At once, they felt gravity starting to lift off of them and started rising into the air.

"Oh no," TK cried as the hurricane closed in on them, "We're surrounded!"

His words drowned out as the hurricane raged in on them, slowly disappearing and taking them with it.

In the Digital World, perched at the edge of a small but menacing dark forest, stood a huge fortress that was as put as far away from contact as possible. There seemed to be no life outside of it whatsoever, but inside was another story.

The setting inside was something taken out of medieval. Fire roared about in huge chandeliers dangling from the high ceilings, casting shadows on the walls, making them look more dark and ancient. Deep beneath the countless stories of the fortress; at the sinister dungeons stood someone who was hiding behind the dimness, letting out roars every now and then. Chains clanked heavily around the iron bars he was trapped in, letting out reverberates that rang through the deserted stone corridors.

Footsteps now echoed into the dungeons as someone entered them. They stopped as the walker stopped in front of the bars in which the creature was held. A soft but menacing cackle escaped the lips of Rita while she stared through the imprisonment at the fiend.

"How is it today, Rita?" came Cyrius's voice from the doorway.

Rita smirked but didn't look away from the creature, "Snappy, but not outrageous, Cyrius… are they here yet?"

"Yes, they are."

"Perfect. And are they trapped in the Forest?"

Cyrius nodded, "Yes. Everything is going as planned. When shall we take action?"

"Soon … very soon …"

They both burst out into cackles of evil laughter that joined the roars of the caged beast that tried pounding itself at them.

"Soon we will be virtually indestructible!"

"NO!"

Kari shot upright from where she lay and started breathing heavily. Beads of sweat ran down her forehead and her shoulders rose and fell in sharp jolts. She felt as if she had been struck by thunder and her muscles were aching from the eerie iciness around her. The dream had felt so … real.

Something, or rather someone, stirred from beneath her and she looked down to see Davis lying underneath her. He reached up to rub his eyes and groaned, "What the heck …"

When he finally noticed the weight that was on him, he glanced up to see Kari staring down at him blushing three shades of crimson.

His expression matched that of Kari's when he took in the awkward position they were in. Kari scrambled off of him, "Davis! Sorry, I'm so sorry! I was …"

"Hey, it's okay. Don't be," Davis said, smiling but inelegantly as he also got up.

It took a while for them to realize the environment around them, finally snapping them out of their thoughts.

They seemed to be surrounded by what looked like a mass of forest, with huge, damp oak trees covering in on them. The sunlight streaked through the leaves and onto their faces.

Silence along with an air of panic surmounted them as they glanced briefly at each other, and then back at the huge trees.

"Davis …" Kari whimpered in a small voice. She seemed to have made up her mind to act normally around Davis after what had happened.

"…Yeah?"

"Where are we?"

Davis himself didn't know the answer to that, but there was also something else disturbing him. Someone was missing. After a few seconds of racking his brains for the answer, he managed to shout out, "Veemon!"

Kari gasped, "Where's Gatomon and everyone else?"

"I don't know," Davis climbed unsteadily onto a broken down tree trunk and looked around, "Veemon, TK!"

Kari joined him and started shouting as well, "Hello? Gatomon, TK?'

They called out for their friends some more, and just when they thought they were going to give up, they heard something rustling up high in one of the oak trees.

"Huh?" Davis looked up and caught a glimpse of something blue in the midst of the green leaves.

"Is that Veemon?" Kari said, walking up beside the particular tree trunk, "Veemon, is that you?"

Some more rustling was heard till a head emerged from the leaves of the oak tree, " Did, er, someone call my name?"

"Veemon, it's you!" Davis cried, happily.

"Davis?" Veemon looked down and got onto his feet unevenly. He suddenly lost his balance and started tumbling through the branches.

Davis held out his arms and after a long, bumpy ride down the tree, Veemon landed in them, scratched and sore, but otherwise just fine.

"Davis!" Veemon hugged his partner. He immediately looked up again, "Where are we, by the way?"

Kari glanced around uneasily, "Where're Gatomon and TK?"

And as if on que, they heard the sound of some familiar voices on the far side of the area of forest.

"Hey, did you hear that? That sounded like Veemon screaming."

A rather contemptuous voice added, "Unfortunately, yes it did …"

Davis and Kari ran towards the source of the voice to see TK, Gatomon, Patamon and the person they had least expected to see – Cody with Armadillomon.

"Hey guys!" Davis exclaimed, running up to them.

TK turned to look at the spiky-haired boy run up to them, "Davis?"

"Davis, it's you! And it's Kari, as well!" Cody said, smiling.

Gatomon ran up to Kari and leaped into her arms, purring happily, "Kari!"

"Gatomon, I'd thought you were lost!" Kari cried, cuddling her Digimon partner.

"I was, but then I heard you guys."

Patamon cleared his throat loudly, "Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but as far as I can see, we're trapped in some forest with absolutely no idea of the exit."

Kari looked crestfallen, "Oh yeah … where are we?"

"I don't know. The last thing I remember was getting sucked into some kind of hurricane before landing on Armadillomon, over here …" Cody said, looking around.

"That's exactly what happened to us," Davis told him. Then he slowly frowned, "Wait a minute … if we're here, and Cody's here, then shouldn't Ken and Yolie be here too?"

"Yeah, they should," said TK. He winced at the sight of damp, murky trees nearby, "And I'd know why they wouldn't be anyway."

Gatomon nodded in agreement, "Yeah. I hate water. Especially muddy, dirty water …"

Davis put his hands into his pant pockets for warmth, but to his surprise, he saw that his D3 and D-terminal both were inside it. Frowning, he took them out and held them in front of his face, "What the … I could've sworn I left these back home."

At this point, the others had noticed the strange appearance of the devices and they too were confused.

Cody also dug his hands into his pockets, taking out his D3 and D-terminal while TK did the same, the only other person who didn't seem to know where her D3 and D-terminal was Kari.

TK gasped as he turned on his D3, catching everyone's attention. He stared at the D3 with wide eyes before saying, "We're in the Digiworld."

"What?" Davis flipped open his D3 and nearly dropped it as he noticed they were indeed in the Digiworld.

"Okay … this is really weird," Veemon said, glancing at the D3 and D-terminal in Davis's hands and then back up at him.

"You can say that again," muttered Davis, nodding. "Something fishy's going on here … but what?"  
Kari looked down at Gatomon, "I can't find my D-terminal or D3. I left them at home but how can I believe they're still at home when Davis just said that he also did the same thing?"

"Why do I feel so familiar with this situation?" Armadillomon said, swallowing hard.

Davis looked around, "Same here … but whatever the mystery is, we'll get to the bottom of it … and we'll find Ken and Yolei too if they're here."

The team stood in a steady position, glancing uneasily at the forest around them. A part of them knew that this wasn't just any ordinary stranded situation they were in; it seemed so strange, yet so familiar. Deciding to move on, they set off through the forest with Davis at the lead, ready for anything that was put their way.

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Author's Note: I hope this chapter was good enough to put you on the edge of your seats. I uploaded this chapter quickly, maybe because I was kind of into it. And I didn't expect the Digidestined to get swiped into the Digiworld; it just came across my mind. Guess I really need to freshen up my mind before working on a chap. He, he …

I need your reviews on this chapter and again, do not hesitate for any suggestions! Till then, stay tuned!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Digimon.

Author's Note: Taking a nap gives me good ideas and I just woke up from one so that's a pretty good sign. Thanks for your reviews! I'm touched. I like the idea that people are enjoying my stories.

OK, for those of you who think I hate TK just cause' I support Daikari, I don't. I think he's a great even though Davis is my favorite protagonist.

There will be some new Mons' introduced later on, thanks to the all-time greatest for those of you who have been waiting, this is for you!

Enjoy!

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Chapter Four

Survival for the Destined'

Davis felt he was sinking into an old nightmare. And here he was again, lost with his friends in the Digiworld with no idea what was to happen. The most problems they were having were for the supply of food and water. Davis had miraculously found a packet of cookies he had kept stashes in his pocket, but besides that they had nothing. They sometimes had to stop at a small stream for water they came across. It was rarely clean, but it was something; something for everyone except Veemon who was used to pure glasses of water everyday at the Motomiya household.

For days they traveled onwards through the mind-numbing forest, the humor slowly draining away from them. And at night was the worst, so they had to keep watch in turns each.

It was another one of those nights, and Davis was to keep lookout. He let Veemon sleep in for the night, even though the little Digimon offered to stay by his side. Picking up a twig from nearby, Davis started twirling it around his fingers. Why did he feel new to this? They had been through much worse, but it still felt awful. Groaning in impatience, he threw the stick down.

"Davis?"

"Hmm?" Davis didn't have to look to know that Kari had joined him. If she wasn't asleep yet, he couldn't blame her. He had woken up one morning to find himself spread out in an uncomfortable angle, his head resting on his shoulder. It hadn't stopped hurting for a while after that.

"You're not sleepy?" he asked.

"Nope, I can't with the sound of you whining,"

"Oh …"

"I'm just kidding Davis, who could sleep here?" Kari was interrupted by the sound of Veemon's snores.

Davis grinned, "You were saying."

"OK, so some people can stay here without having to care about the icky, wet ground or the scary trees waving at them," Kari sighed and started running her forefinger through the fabric of her school skirt.

"Oh yeah, I once saw a tree shaped like that monster we saw in a movie backing November,"

"You mean 'Hollow's Nightmare'? No way!"

"Yeah, it was pretty cool even though it was creepy."

After that, they stayed silent, each absorbed in their own thoughts. The only noises in earshot were Veemon's snores and the rustling of some leaves on branches.

"Davis?" Kari's voice broke Davis's train of thought and he looked at her.

Her head was bent downwards and her voice had an edge to it as she spoke, "H-how do you think Tai feels?"

Davis paused as he thought of what to say. He knew Kari was very concerned in upsetting her big brother, and TK probably felt the same way about Matt even though he didn't show it.

"Kari," he began, "I don't know what's happening in the Real World right now, but I do know that even though Tai's worried, he knows everything will settle down eventually. He knows you're strong, and you've got friends that are with you. He'll be OK, as long as you are …"

Kari looked up at him and gave him a smile, "You really think so?"

"I know so," Davis grinned. He leaned back against a tree. "Where there's a will, there's a way! And I'm sure we'll find a way!"

"Right!"

Davis looked up at the sky, his eyes studying its depths in fascination. Kari was starting to say something else before Davis pointed out towards the blue, "Hey, a shining star!"

Kari frowned, "So?"

"Well, my Gramps once told me that if you see a shining star, you'll know that someone close to you, who has passed away, if watching you, telling you everything will be OK," Davis looked up at one star which stood out amongst the rest. He sighed, "Gramps would be up there as well ..."

Kari watched her friend stare at the skies. This was once again a side she had so rarely seen of his; first time being in the feud against MaloMyotismon. He had a stroke of sadness gleaming I his eyes, and she wondered how many times it usually appeared.

Then Davis turned to her smiling, "OK so … want something to eat? Cookies, maybe?"

"Davis, you sound like a waiter,"

"I'm serious!"

"But they're for breakfast,"

"But still,"

"No, it's alright,"

"I insist -"

"Davis, it's fine,"

"Yeah, but –"

Kari gave him a look that was similar to that of Yolei's and Davis closed his mouth quickly. For the rest of the night, they talked and joked; something they hadn't done in a while, till the others woke up. The rising sun's rays streaked out onto them from the gaps of the trees overhead.

"Yowza, my shoulder's killing me," Veemon mumbled, rubbing it. "I hate this …"

"You too, eh?" Patamon said, stretching.

Cody looked at Davis and Kari's faces and noticed the lack of sleep they held. "You two were up all night, weren't you?"

"I was on watch duty and Kari just wasn't ready to hit the sack," Davis explained, yawning a little. He stared off into space, smiling, "I could just picture my own bed …"

"Stop!" Veemon cried. "I can't take it anymore!"

Davis looked at his partner, "I'm sorry Veemon, I've only taken about forty percent of sleep since we came here, and I'm not comfortable …"

TK smiled hopefully as he got up, "Well, today's another day. Let's hope something out of the ordinary happens."

"Uh-huh," Gatomon twitched her ears. "If I stay too long in this wet place, I think I'll get deleted …"

"Gatomon, don't say that!" Kari squealed.

"I can't help it Kari. I can't believe that even after all we've been through, we're still in this horrible, useless state."

"And we'll keep sinking into this useless state if we don't get a move on," Cody stood up from where he sat on the ground and brushed some dirt off of his trousers. "I'm a mess."

Davis sighed and turned around, thinking. There had to be a purpose for their sudden appearance in the forest, and if he weren't mistaken, Ken and Yolei had to be here too.

_We really need some help … _he thought miserably.

He went back to the others who were discussing something about Digieggs and suddenly heard a familiar beeping noise. One he hadn't heard in a long time.

The others turned towards him, their expressions showing shock like his. For a moment, they stood there looking at each other as if unsure of what to do.

Then Davis reached into his pocket and took out his D3 with stumbling fingers. His eyes widened as he saw it blink brightly with blue light and fade with each beep. "The D3 …"

For the next minute, it didn't do anything but beep. Davis even turned it around in his hands but it did no use.

"OK …" Cody murmured, staring from the D3 to the others. "What next?"

As soon as he said that, the blue device screeched loudly, causing Davis to nearly drop it. It glowed ferociously now, covering every corner of their surroundings with white light.

Davis held it away from him but yelped as it shrieked louder than ever. He pulled it back, making it settle down a little. He was too busy shielding his eyes from the light he didn't hear TK call his name.

"DAVIS!"

Davis looked at him, "What?!"

TK pointed out in front of Davis, "Take it away from you again!"

Davis frowned, "WHAT?"  
"I SAID, TAKE IT AWAY FROM YOU AGAIN!"

"ARE YOU CRAZY?"

"JUST DO IT!"

Davis turned his gaze back on the D3, and after a second, held it out in from of him. It once again, screeched louder, intensifying its glow as well. He felt TK's hand close around his arm and pull him forward.

"What are you doing?" he looked back at TK, who was straining against the pressure the D3 was putting on them. "Shut it down!"

"Trust me!" TK nodded towards the D3. "Move in the direction its pointing towards!"

Although confused, Davis agreed and step by step, walked towards a small clearing. He thought it naïve to think at this moment, the fact that he now agreed with whatever TK suggested. But whenever he did, it sometimes led him and the others to the right way.

The D3 started vibrating in his hands and as he moved away from the others, he had a hard time maintaining his grip on it. It felt lie it was going to blow. Davis gritted his teeth, fighting against the ear-splitting noise the device was giving out.

"C'mon Davis!" he saw Veemon running towards him. A moment later, the Rookie was walking alongside him. "I'm with you!"

Davis grinned despite the building difficulty and tramped onwards. After a few more steps, and a strong sensation of breaking down, the D3 stopped shrieking. It didn't glow as much as before and was now beeping as it did first.

"What …" Davis looked down at it, baffled. The others moved up and around him, their eyes on the blue D3 that lay flashing in Davis's hand.

"What happened?" Kari asked no one if particular.

TK grinned and pointed out ahead, "It's led us through to an indication!"

Davis followed his gaze and gasped as he saw, sprouting out through the trees from the ground, what looked like to be ruins of a temple. "No way …"

Gatomon started swishing her tail as she walked slowly towards it. Her eyes got narrower "It's definitely something … although, it could be dangerous."

"Dangerous, schmangerous," Veemon said, running forward. "It might be our ticket outta this dump!"

"Veemon, wait!" Cody cried. "Gatomon's right – it could be a trap!"

With that, Veemon skidded to a halt and moaned, "And I thought we were finally leaving this place …"

Davis pocketed the blinking D3 and turned to the others, "We should at least check it out. It might have something to do with this … situation."

"You're right, Davis," Kari nodded. "It's worth a try!"

TK stared uncertainly at her, looking hesitant but he too agreed, "I'll come too."

Cody looked at his three friends doubtfully. He then ran a hand through his hair, sighing, "OK, OK, count me in as well …"

"That's the spirit, Cody!" Davis said, fervently. "Without you, there's no Digidestined!"

Cody beamed, but became solemn as he faced the weathered structure that stood before them, "Well … what're we waiting for? Let's go …"

And together, the Digidestined marched into the ruins, hoping to obtain some answers to their serious misfortune. And maybe to where Ken and Yolei were too.

Rita was furious. She had lost her anger at times but this was crossing the limits.

_What's taking Cyrius so long? _She walked across the room towards a window. This was the fortress's main entrance hall, and it looked no less than the rest of the dark passages. Rita stopped at the window and started outside, concentrating.

"Right," she said and raised her arms up high. Her hair slowly lifted up behind her and the robes she was wearing flapped around her ankles.

She bought her hands together and slowly, a silver spiral formed between them. It flickered and twisted in amazing speed.

And as quickly as it had appeared, it vanished just like that.

"That might hold off the Digidestined for a while," Rita cackled.

"Well done, Rita," a very familiar voice came from the doorway, along with the sound of clapping.

"That was quite a Windbreaker you made. I'm sure that certainly stop those Digidestined," Cyrius said, walking up to stand beside her.

"What are you playing at, Cyrius!" Rita spat, angrily. "They've found the temple! That's where it's held! Do you have any idea how much this could affect our plans?"

Cyrius smiled, "It's fine, it's all part of the plan. That Windbreaker you summoned would help, as well as our little fresh bait …"

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, I had just been down to the dungeons and I also released him to appear in the temple to guard it. The Digidestined won't be happy to find that one of their allies is still missing, you know."

Rita frowned but it slowly vanished and Cyrius raised his hand and a fog appeared before them. Just barely visible in the thickness of the fog was the structure of a boy, his features more man-like. His navy hair flew out over his head and his cheeks had a shade of grey.

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Author's Note: I hope this was good enough for all you guys out there. The net at me place is busted and I'm typing this at my Aunt's. I wanted to fill in more but I guess that should wait till the next chapter.

OK, review if you want. And keep reading, there will be much more to come!

Cheerio!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon …

Author's Note: OK, so after a time of thoughts for details of the upcoming chapter, I'm finally done! Sorry for taking so long, was busy with my stupid tests and plus, the net wasn't working!

Special thanks to those who have reviewed this fanfic. You guys are great! This chapter is probably dedicated to those of you who have been waiting, as well as the reviewers!

So sit back, relax and enjoy!

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Chapter Five

More Clues and More Questions

"_Well, let's get a move on …" Cody said, looking at the weathered ruin that stood before them._

As soon as she stepped foot into the temple, Kari knew that something was about to happen. And being the Digidestined of Light, she wasn't surprised for her ability. Having the shrewd Gatomon for a partner as well didn't make a difference.

_I hate deijavu …_ she thought bitterly, her eyes glued to the obscurity ahead of her. She shuddered, _I hate darkness too …_

None of them made a sound, as if each was transfixed to the secrecy of their surroundings. Kari felt as if an alarm inside her head would go off any minute if they went any deeper. She despised this sense of anxiety and wished she were more like her brother, Tai. Or maybe even Davis.

She turned her gaze onto the leader and looked as he shared a small joke with TK. A smile crossed her face; a few years ago she would have never thought the two would share the same planet. She hadn't seen a rivalry like theirs since her first time in the Digiworld with TK and the older Digidestined, obviously meaning Tai and Matt's. Even though Davis had grown since the defeat of MaloMyotismon, she could still see the fierce, stubborn boy in his eyes.

"… So then coach asks me, 'kid, cat got your tongue?' " Davis grinned as he finished joke number two, and TK chuckled.

It was suddenly drowned out by an ear shattering crash, its source coming from somewhere beneath them. The Digidestined remained quite for a while, jammed to the spot.

"W-what was that?" Armadillomon whimpered, finally breaking the dread that hung in the air. Davis took out his blinking D3, which had started to vibrate intensely.

"What in the world?" TK felt the feeling of pulsation coming from his pocket and frowned. "Mine's doing the same thing!"

Kari looked at Cody who was looking intently at his own D3, which was making the same reaction as the other two.

"I'm seriously getting sick of this D3 feedback!" Davis growled. "If there even is any real danger, why can't it show up already?"

Just as he said that, they heard a loud screech. A loud, threatening kind. Gatomon looked up at Davis, "Smart move …"

Davis, instead of giving out his nervous laugh, turned behind him with an unreadable expression on his face. His eyes grew as wide as saucers.

"Davis …" Kari walked forward and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Are you feeling alright?"

He didn't reply but stared straight ahead. His breath came out in huffs as if he was all out of breath.

"Is he in some kind of fit?" Veemon asked, looking up at his partner in worry.

They stood there in silence, looking at the strange behavior of their leader.

"GO!" Davis suddenly yelled, making them jump. "WE'VE GOTTA GO!"

"Davis?" Cody said, frowning. "What's gotten into you?"

Davis turned around and shouted, wildly, "WE'VE GOTTA GO NOW!"

He turned to them, his face showing fretfulness, "Please, you guys!"

"Why?" TK said. "Davis, is there something you have to tell with us?"

Before Davis could reply, a low cry echoed onto them, bouncing back on the interior walls of the temple. The same cry, this time more sinister enough to raise the hair on Gatomon's neck.

They all turned around slowly and started at the internal boundary of the temple. A dark shape was forming right before them, and a mauve hue also started to waver around it.

Kari, without taking her eyes off the form, grabbed Gatomon's paw. The vibes around them started getting obscure, just like the time when Davis, TK and Kari disappeared on the street back in the Real World. Only this time, there was also a mauve hue about as well.

"Digidestined …" a strangled voice hissed in on them.

Davis blinked in surprise. He was sure he heard that voice somewhere. But where?

He tore his eyes away from the stature and turned to his friends, reading the tension and fear that they held.

Kari's eyes made contact with his and he noticed the same stress shown during the collision with that strange man. He himself felt the only hope left in him diminish.

Davis felt as if everything around him was shifting in slow motion. Veemon was staring transfixed at the form that had stopped moving and was now silent. The brunette looked back at the figure.

"I've got to admit, I didn't think you'd make it this far without your, usual routines to follow …" the figure spoke, quietly emerging out of darkness.

No one made a sound as they studies the ancient details of the Digimon that stood before them. He looked so primeval that they didn't think for a moment he held power beyond even a Champion's control before he started glowing. Dust flew out from the blaze he was creating, resulting in a small sandstorm.

"Hey!" Davis yelled out, as beams of light flew out at him. He cried out in pain, realizing at once that they burned. He heard cries from the others, aware that they were going through the same feeling.

"Stop it!" Kari squealed. "Why are you doing this to us?"

"Kari!" Gatomon shouted over everyone's cries. "It's Jijimon!"

As soon as Gatomon finished that sentence, the sandstorm stopped as quickly as it had started and Jijimon was looking down at them, an unreadable look on his ancient features.

"Gatomon … it's been a long time, hasn't it?" Jijimon said.

The feline Digimon ran forward, disbelief shown clearly on her face, "What happened to you, Jijimon? Why are you hurting us?"

The others could only watch as Jijimon floated up, seemingly suspended in midair. They were puzzled by the fact that Gatomon knew this Digimon so well.

"I believe you weren't present then at the time of fear and destruction …" Jijimon said, closing his eyes.

"What? What do you mean _time of fear and destruction_?" said Davis, stepping into the conversation. "We were always there for you!"  
"Yeah!' Veemon piped in. "And for the last couple of years, the Digiworld was peaceful!"

"Either you're mistaken, or you're disgustingly lying …" Jijimon said, his tone increasing as he spoke. He looked at Davis with a look of pure hatred in his eyes, "And of course you're the leader. I've heard much about you, but cowardice wasn't mentioned earlier then …"

"Cowardice?" Davis spat. He was really confused by now. Was all this true?

"But enough of this …" Jijimon raised his hand up high and withdrew it behind him, a ball of energy quickly forming in it.

"No! Don't do this, Jijimon!" Gatomon shouted.

Kari ran forward and picked her up, preventing her from moving closer to the attack, "Gatomon, no!"

"Lemme go, Kari!" Gatomon cried. "I wanna stop him from making a big mistake, please!"

"Veemon, digivolve now!" Davis yelled, his hands curling into fists.

"Sure thing!" Veemon said. "Veemon … digivolve to …"

They all waited for the Champion to appear. They could feel the intensity of Jijimon's attack as it got prepared to be launched. But he didn't. ExVeemon didn't appear.

"What the -" Davis stared at Veemon, who was looking down at himself in bewilderment. "Why aren't you digivoling Veemon?"

Veemon frowned and closed his eyes in concentration, "Veemon … digivolve to …"

He fell back down, exhausted. He looked at Davis, worried, "Davis, I can't!"

"What do you mean you can't?" Davis repeated, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead. "Please try, Veemon!"

Veemon tried again. And again, he failed to digivolve into ExVeemon.

"What's happening?" TK frowned. "Why can't Veemon digivolve?"

"I … I don't know!" Davis breathed, a tight knot forming in his stomach. Why couldn't Veemon digivolve?

Before any of them could do anything else, Jijimon released the dark glow of energy, "Hang on Death!"

"NOOOOO!" Gatomon cried, shutting her eyes tight.

Davis braced himself for what would seem like excruciating pain. But it didn't come. Instead, when he opened his eyes, there came a familiar voice. Very familiar.

"Grand Horn!"

"No …" Davis said in incredulity. But he grinned as he saw a Champion level, bird-type Digimon fly over them. Riding him was none other than …

"Yolei!" Kari yelled in delight. "You came!"

Aquilamon's Grand Horn attack came into contact with Jijimon who cried out in agony once it hit him. Jijimon's Hang on Death flicked off into nothing as soon as he buckled in pain. Yolei slid off of Aquilamon once they were close enough to the ground and went running over to the others.

"Hey guys!" she smiled.

Kari ran forward and hugged her.

"Yolei, where were you?" Cody asked.

"No time for questions, Cody!" Yolei told him. She turned to face Jijimon, who was keeling down. "It's time we came back together to fight!"

Davis nodded, "Yeah … but wait."

He looked around, frowning, "Where's Ken?"

Yolei opened her mouth to answer, but before any words could come out, they heard a scream. They all faced Jijimon with looks of horror as he began to melt. His facial features all crumbled into what looked like dark-colored mud.

"Jijimon!" Gatomon cried.

A pool of darkness appeared beneath Jijimon and he let out one final scream before sinking into it. A moment later, the pool disappeared as well, showing no sign of itself or of Jijimon.

Davis walked forward, his eyes still on the place where the pool had been, "What … happened?"

"Jijimon!" Gatomon buried her face into Kari's arm. Kari in turn, stroked her head in effort to console her but did no use as Gatomon started to sniff.

"How did you know Jijimon, Gatomon?" Armadillomon asked, concern shown vividly in his face.

"And Yolei – where's Ken?" Davis inquired, looking at the lavender-haired girl. "If he's not with you, then where is he?"

"Ken?' Yolei's eyes flashed with worry. "What do you mean? I thought he was with you!"

"What!" TK cried. "No … he wasn't …"

"There's something terribly wrong going on here …" Davis said. His frown deepened, "And I've got a feeling it's no coincidence … what was up with Jijimon hating us so much, when according to Gatomon, he seemed a real nice guy?"

Gatomon looked at them, sighing, "When I wasn't Kari's partner … when everything was controlled by Devimon … Jijimon was one of those Digimon who had always been there for me as well as Wizardmon…"

They all watched her as she continued. "And then, when I was finally came to realize the faithfulness of the Digidestined, he was graciously happy for me… he was a very good friend of mine, guys … and I'm sorry I didn't tell you about it …"

"That's alright Gatomon …" Kari said. "And I'm sorry for Jijimon …"

"Why did he turn all evil all of a sudden?" TK said. "We were always there for the Digiworld … I don't get it …"

"Hmmm …" Gatomon nodded.

Davis was only half- paying attention to the conversation. His mind was on something else. Why couldn't Veemon digivolve? And why did he, not anyone else except Gatomon, felt like he knew Jijimon?

"Davis?" Kari looked at him. "Davis? Are you OK?"

Sighing, he looked at all his friends. "I … I'm fine …"

"Davis, why couldn't I digivolve?" Veemon asked, looking down.

"I've no idea, Veemon …' Davis stood up and ran his hand through his hair. He took out his D-terminal, "But I'm gonna find out …"

When he had activated it, he looked at Veemon, "Try now …"

"Veemon … digivolve to …"

Veemon still stood there, looking very agitated. He shook his head, "I can't Davis!"

"What's happening?" Davis murmured. He put the D-terminal back into his pocket and turned to the others, "Guys … I think we should move on …"

"But Davis," Kari said. "Everyone's exhausted and I think we should all rest, don't you think?"

"If we rest, then who's gonna find out why everyone's angry with us all of a sudden?" Davis snapped, surprisingly everyone.

He looked at Kari's alarmed expression, and took a deep breath. He sat back down, "I'm sorry Kari … but the fact that Veemon can't digivolve is not helping me take this situation …"

He looked down on the ground, trying not to look at his friends. He didn't mean to shout like that. He sensed Kari coming over and looked to see her sitting next to him.

"Davis …" she said. Davis was starting to feel guilty about shouting at her now that she was cool about it. "You're the one who taught us not to give up. And sometimes, students are better at what teachers tell them … don't you think we should help you the way you helped us?"

She gave him a reassuring smile which assured him that he didn't needn't be so worried. "Everything will turn out alright," she whispered. "You've gotta believe it …"

Davis slowly smiled, and said, "Thanks Kari …"

"What are friends for?" Kari asked, twirling a lock of hair in her finger in a way that made her resemble Mimi.

"So we take a break, oh gracious leader?" TK asked, smirking.

"Whatever, TL!"

"Hey!"

Everyone broke into laughter. It was only the left out presence of Ken that made them feel incomplete.

_At the fortress …_

_Where am I?_

The room was empty, and only trace of light was of that coming from the candles that were placed around various sides of the area.

Ken Ichijoji was lying on the floor, drenched in sweat. He looked around, his eyesight blurred from staying unconscious for too long.

_Davis? Yolei? … Wormmon!?_

He tried getting up, but his knees gave way and he fell back down again. Something nearby caught his attention. Something that made him sick with fear.

Looking down at his wrist, he saw a symbol sprawled in something black. He studied the curves and the sharp line that ended the mark.

"No!" he yelled out as suddenly, different images came appearing in his mind. Horrible, recognizable images.

"The Mark of Darkness!" he breathed. "How? Why?"

"We will tell you all about it, Ken Ichijoji …" a feminine voice from nearby said. "Or may we call you the Digimon Emperor?"

Ken looked up to see Rita and Cyrius walking towards him, conceited looks on their faces.

"You!" he gasped. "You two? You're the … how do you know who I am?"

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Author's Note: Sorry, couldn't resist a cliffhanger! Haha!

Anyways, hope you enjoyed the latest chapter. Review if you want! And don't worry; I never rest without the thought of completing this story. Sorry for the lame name of the chapter, I totally stink at coming up with names … anyhow.

Till next time!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I – do – not – own – Digimon …

Author's Note: OK, first thing I'd like to do before I fill you in on clues on stuff that will happen is thank those who have reviewed so far, as well as those who have read this story. I'm sure there will be more, so I'm not gonna say anything else.

Ken's finally come face-to-face with Rita and Cyrius! Prepare to get drawn into additional mysteries as you read more of this fic!

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_Ken looked up to see Rita and Cyrius walking towards him, conceited looks on their faces._

"_You!" he gasped. "You two? You're the … how do you know who I am?"_

Chapter Six

The Mark of Darkness … Ascending

Ken's eyes widened as he studied the two figures standing before him. Sure enough, they were the two that they had run that day. But why did he get that feeling that he had seen them somewhere before? He remembered everything from his days as the Digimon Emperor and that had always remained an issue he couldn't get past. And the Mark of Darkness was a vital part of his memories, one he had hidden away for reasons he could never tell anyone. Not Yolei, Davis, his friends. And not even Wormmon. Rita and Cyrius stared down at him, their now-revealed eyes practically dancing with enjoyment, which confused Ken.

He suddenly let out a gasp as inevitably crucial pain shot through his neck. His hand flew to it and he yelled as another surge of pain ran through it. The same place where … Ken shook his head furiously and looked at Rita and Cyrius, his eyes flashed with tears.

"No! What did you do?" he shouted, frantically. His hand closed around the back of his neck, evidently not helping the soreness.

Rita snickered and walked forward, "We did something which you took your previous … ahem, greatest life to avoid … and it was rather foolish."

"W-what are you talking about? I hated that life!" Ken snapped. "I never meant to hurt anyone!"

Cyrius nodded, "And yet, you had hurt many. Ken Ichijoji, you want to run away from a life that many of us die for … and I bet that even your friends, though being good, would love to live like you had once …"

Ken, though being a normal boy again, was intelligent for some teenagers his age, and he realized at once that something was wrong.

Rita and Cyrius closed in on him, unreadable expressions on their face. They seemed to grow darker as they approached him, and Ken felt as if great pressure was being pushed against him. The next thing he saw was that Rita had placed her hand on his shoulder, and he sank into darkness.

_At the temple …_

It was another one of those times when Davis was forced to admit Yolei was a more reliable Digidestined than he was. First time being when Davis hadn't bought his lunch to the Digiworld and Yolei had to help him out by giving him some of hers. But it wasn't surprising since her family owned a convenience store.

This time, she had bought a bag of food along with her. According to Yolei, she was setting off for home after working for some time at the store when the strange vortex appeared, sweeping her into the Digiworld. Now only was Davis happy this time, but everyone else as well. They had all decided to start on lunch outside the temple, just in case.

"I feel … so good …" Davis mumbled, sitting back after a long drink of soda. They were just finishing off a proper good meal, one they hadn't had in weeks. _I'd never take food for granted again … _Davis thought, his attention turning to a loud Veemon, slurping up some ramen. Instant ramen; one of the most delicious things in Davis's food list.

There was one thing that wouldn't stop bothering him, though. He still couldn't believe that Veemon couldn't digivolve in the battle. In his mind's eye, he could see the wiped-out Rookie slumped on the ground, panting from the energy spent into digivolving.

_Why? It's never happened before … Veemon still had some energy left in him to at least digivolve into a Champion …_

He was brought back to Earth by Kari, who had to repeat his name twice to get his attention. He looked at her, and she was staring back, looking concerned for some reason.

"What?" he asked. She didn't say anything.

"Kari?" Davis looked at the others, who all gazed at him weirdly. "Guys?"

It was finally TK who spoke up. "Davis? Are you … er, alright?"

"What? Of course I am! What's up, guys?"

Kari grabbed his hand and brought it up to his face, so he was staring at his palm. He nearly swore at the sight of what he saw. It looked like something that was similar to the design he scrawled across his math workbook last year. But it wasn't as grand. If anything, it looked threatening.

"W-what is that?" he yelled. He looked at Veemon and plunged his hand out of Kari's grip as he saw the same marks stamped on his face. "Veemon!"

"D-Davis …" Veemon yelped, staring in horror at Davis.

"What's happening?" Davis said. He all of a sudden, hissed as the marks on his hand burned. His face seemed to sting as well. The heat around him started to intensify, for all he could sense. He heard Veemon yell as well.

"V-Veemon!" he cried, his eyes shut tight. He could also hear the others around him, saying things that he couldn't make out. His eyes flew open as he felt something blow inside of him.

Kari looked in shock at Davis who was crouching low on the ground. Veemon was acting in the same manner. But the thing that concerned her most was the black marks that had appeared on Davis's face and arms. She gasped as Davis let out a strangled yell.

"Davis!" she made a move to run forward but her arm was grasped by TK who had pulled her back.

"No Kari! Don't!" TK said. He looked back at their leader who was practically shaking in alarm. "It's too dangerous!"

"TK, how can you say that? Davis needs our help!" Kari tried breaking free of TK's grip, but he wouldn't let her. "Davis!"

"Guys! Look at Veemon!" Hawkmon called out at them, turning their mind onto him. He was hovering in the air, his eyes glued to the shape that seemed to be forming beneath him.

What used to be Veemon, appeared to just come out of darkness. It was definitely blue, but not the same familiar blue that so adapted the Rookie. Spikes seemed to sprout out of its back and its jaws were the size of Aquilamon's talons. Its eyes flew open, illuminating a crimson-red color that ran a chill down Kari's spine.

"W-what?" she whimpered, watching the Digimon take off into the air, its black bat-like wings stretched out. Yolei's scream then made them turn their attention onto her. She was on the ground, looking up at …

"Davis …" Cody whispered.

The figure that stood before them looked nothing like Davis. His hair was spiked back as usual, but it had turned jet black. Black marks were scrawled across his face, and the color of his eyes was red as well, black only being the pupil. His shirt was ripped in several places, and he looked to become much broader.

The huge Digimon landed down behind his partner, who had a smirk stretched across his face. Evil strongly radiated from them, applying pressure onto the gaping teenagers.

"MeganicVeedramon …" Davis said, in a voice that strangely magnified throughout the area. "Prepare to destroy …"

But TK acted before the gigantic Digimon could make a start. He threw out his D3 and looked at Patamon, "Go, Patamon! Go!"

"Patamon digivolve to … Angemon!" the angelic Digimon flew up into the air, its light slightly searing the darkness that lingered in the air. He held out his staff in preparation of battle. Aquilamon flew up beside him a while later and Armadillomon had digivolved to Ankylomon, who now stood looking up at MeganicVeedramon.

"W-what happened to them?" Gatomon said, not taking her eyes off the two that looked just minutes ago familiar to them.

"Acidic Claw!" MeganicVeedramon flew forward and pushed his arm forward, just barely missing the startled Angemon by a few inches. Liquid fell from the tips of MeganicVeedramon's claw and fell onto the ground, finishing up with a hissing sound.

"Oh no!" Yolei shouted, her eyes wide with realization. She looked at the other Digimon, "That's acid! It could melt you like ice-cream if it's created with power from a Digimon like that! Avoid it!"

"You're kidding me?" Ankylomon said, alarmed. He stepped back, "I love my shell the way it is!"

"Then we've just gotta keep avoiding that attack!" Angemon said. He looked down at MeganicVeedramon, "And put them back to their senses!"

"Don't hurt them!" Kari cried, her thoughts going to her friends. "They can't help it!"

"Kari, we've got no choice. You know this is true from all of our past experiences!" TK told her, his voice echoing throughout the forest.

"Yes, but it's Davis we're talking about! Not some Digimon who wants to cause disruption!" Kari argued back.

"We have to, Kari! Remember what happened to SkullGreymon?" Cody said.

Kari opened her mouth to argue, but closed it again. They were right. If they could just snap Davis and MeganicVeedramon back to their normal selves … without hurting both of them badly in the process.

_In the Real World_

"What's happened to them?"

The sun was just beginning to set, casting a golden glow throughout Obadiah. It was probably Tai's most favorite time of the day, when the world finally rested, starting out from something this beautiful. But his mind was far from birds chirping and the golden shades given out in the trees and bushes. Tai and the older Digidestined, even Joe who was forced to meet them although he was in a middle of work at the hospital, were gathered near an area underneath a large oak tree. Their preferred meeting place. Tai was the only one standing while the others were seated around him.

"Relax Tai, I'm sure they'll turn up somehow," Sora Takenouchi assured him, looking worried herself.

"Sora's right," Joe said. "They've fought through much more, and they could handle a dangerous situation …"

"Yeah, but what if this is more than 'much more', Joe?" Tai looked at his friend with an irritated expression on his face. "My little sister is out there. This may be much more than anything we've ever faced off against!"

"We're doing all we can Tai," Izzy said, typing into his laptop. "If you could just have a little patience, we can figure this situation out!"

Before Tai could argue back, Matt stood up with his face bent towards the ground, "Tai's right."

The others looked at him, surprised. This was the first time in days since Matt had finally spoken up for himself. Since the younger Digidestined all disappeared, including TK, he kept quiet and this concerned all of them.

"W-what do you mean, Matt?" Sora said. She gazed up at him, her face etched with unease. The two of them had been dating for two years, and she still couldn't take it whenever he was troubled.

"What I mean, Sora, is that we're wasting too much time racking our brains for a suitable answer to this problem …" Matt sighed, and looked up. "I agree with Tai. I think we should just go find them, even if they are in the Digiworld. They may have experienced difficulties in the past, but we've been through much more than them!"

"Matt …" Tai stared at his best friend. Knowing him all too well, he was worried for them, especially TK. Matt had a habit of hiding his feelings, and Tai knew this ever since their first adventure in the Digiworld.

There was a long silence after that. Matt dug his hands into his pant pockets and resumed staring at the ground. The others just looked at him, all deep in thought or either apprehension.

It was finally Izzy who spoke up. "Guys, what if Davis and the others aren't in the Digital World? They could be anywhere for all we know …"

"Izzy, whenever anything strange has happened; it's always did in the Digiworld, hasn't it?" Tai said, frowning. "I can have my patience if they come back within a day or two after their disappearance, but this is more serious. It's been almost a month … and I don't know what I'll do if they don't …"

His voice trailed off.

"Tai," Izzy stood up, and walked over to him. "Why don't we give this situation some time, to just figure out what's happening. If we can't find anything, then sure, we can go to the Digiworld … we just need your help … OK?"

Tai thought it over; Izzy was right, they had to be tolerant, or else they'd just fall into trouble without knowing it. But there was still no sign of the others, and Tai felt he couldn't stand another day at home underneath his Mom's questioning glare.

He sighed and nodded, "Alright then … but if we can't find anything, we're going to find them no matter what it takes …"

_At that very moment …_

"NO!" TK cried, as Angemon flew down over his head, injured badly. They had tried fighting with everything they got. Ankylomon had long de-digivolved back to Armadillomon and Aquilamon, thought still in the fight, was bushed out from dodging MeganicVeedramon's Acidic Claw attack. Angemon had just hardly missed the attacks, but in the end, due to fatigue, he gave in and was thrown into the ground by a body slam.

"It's no use!" Yolei said, pulling at her hair. "We've gotta pull back! They're too strong!"

Instead of watching the battle, Kari was studying Davis instead. He was just standing there by the sidelines, watching the clash with amusement. She would have never pictured Davis and Veemon like this. _What's happened to you, Davis? _

Her thoughts were interrupted by TK calling out to her. She turned to him; he was holding Patamon and looked close to tears. Kari hadn't seen him look this sober since Angemon sacrificed himself in their first adventures in the Digiworld.

"T-TK! What's wrong?" she ran towards him. She was shocked to see her best friend like this; it was usually her reduced to tears while TK told her to be brave. She distantly heard Yolei scream as Aquilamon fell from the skies, worn-out from evading MeganicVeedramon's attack, and the sound of Cody's sobs as he held Upamon close to him.

"Oh TK!" Kari reached the blonde and gasped as he staggered forward a bit. She grabbed his shoulder to help him retain his balance and that's when she noticed something. TK was behaving the same way she was when she got home from Frosty's that day.

"Kari …" TK breathed, and fell to the ground, unconscious. Patamon looked at his partner desolately, but he was too weak to even say something.

Kari's eyes widened but before she could do anything, she was grabbed from behind by a pair of very strong arms. Judging by the marks on them, she could tell it was Davis, and she had a bad feeling that something was going to happen. She struggled against the grip but it was no use.

"Davis! Please!" she cried, kicking at the ground. "Stop it!"

He snickered and brought his mouth close to her ear, "That I can't do … for now, though …"

Kari slowly closed her eyes as he brought his hand away from her neck. He had knocked her out. 

_Somewhere in the north of the Digiworld …_

"Is everything ready?"

The mist had already begun to swarm into the area, along with the feeling of hopelessness that the creator of it, loved. There he stood now, his cloak flapping in the wind, looking down at his two followers.

"Almost, your greatness … we just need that Child of Light and your wish will be fulfilled."

His features twisted into a smile and he nodded. "Excellent …"

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Author's Note: Phew! That's completed; just decided to put a lil' more action into this chapter. And I seriously hadn't considered Davis becoming all dark and all … but another thread is gonna come outta that line!

Anyways, review of you want and tune in for the next chapter of The Digimon Millennium!

Cheerio!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. Kapeesh?

Author's Note: I am soooooo so so sorry for taking so long with uploading … it's just been pretty busy. Had to prepare for my stupid exams which will start next week. Anyhow, I've finally got time to write so I'm writing away!

Enjoy the next chapter of Digimon Millennium!

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Chapter Seven

A Solution Corrupted

The Digidestined were slowly falling apart. It had only been two weeks, but to TK it felt like an eternity. Davis had taken Kari to who knows where, and there was still no sign of Ken. While he was still lost in the unpredictable forest with Yolei and Cody.

The Digimon hadn't had anything left to heal themselves with after that battle with MeganicVeedramon since all the things Yolei brought with her mysteriously disappeared.

Davis had taken Gatomon out but he had done it more severely than he had with Kari.

She had thankfully woken up, but was still recovering from the shock of the blow.

"Oh man …" TK took out his D3, and started rubbing on its screen as if the answer would appear on it. "This is bad …"

"Tell me about it …" Cody said, sighing. He was sitting on the ground with his legs crossed and arms folded. "It's too bad we haven't seen Ken, and now Davis had turned evil all of a sudden and Kari's taken away …"

He looked at the lavender-haired girl who had her back turned to them, "What do you think we should do now, Yolei?"

Yolei sniffled silently, shaking her head.

"Oh Yolei …" TK moved over and rubbed her shoulder affectionately. "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing," Yolei whimpered. Taking off her glasses, she started wiping away the tears that were running down her cheek. "It's j-just that …"

"You worried about Ken and the others, aren't you?" Cody said, looking down.

At this, Yolei buried her face in her hands and started sobbing. TK stared at her, alarmed. This was not the first time he had seen Yolei lose control, but this time it wasn't just some ordinary reason.

"Yolei, I didn't mean to make you cry!" Cody said, running to her side.

"It's alright … Cody …" Yolei sniffed, emerging with her face streaked with tears. "I-It's me I'm upset at …"

TK frowned, "Yolei, all of this has nothing to do with you. There's no need to get mad at yourself!"

Yolei didn't say anything. She bent her head and hugged herself. "I … It's just that … I feel so useless!"

"Hn?" TK and Cody looked at each other.

Yolei continued, pausing every now and then, "W-we haven't even seen Ken yet … we d-don't know where he might be … and now Kari's been taken hostage by a guy we thought we knew! Why?"

"Yolei …" a strangled voice from nearby startled them. They looked to see Hawkmon, who was slumped on the ground with Yolei's school scarf wrapped around his tiny body. He coughed, and then looked at his partner, "Yolei … everything's going to be OK … think of all the things we've been through already …"

"I know that, Hawkmon …" Yolei said, pulling back her bangs. "I know … but I feel as if our experience has worn off, we weren't as ready as we used to be back then …"

"Nonsense, Yolei …" Cody said, but TK held out his hand.

"No, I think Yolei might be right …" TK told him. "Remember when Veemon couldn't digivolve into ExVeemon in that battle?"

"Yeah, I'd never seen that happen before."

Yolei looked up, wiping away her tears with her sleeve, "Why did it happen?"

"It might've been because Davis and Veemon suddenly turned all evil or something …" Patamon said. He was lying on the ground near TK, one eye swollen from a huge blow MeganicVeedramon had laid on him.

TK sighed, looking up into the sky, "Whatever reason it is, this is really serious … aw, man, I just wish Izzy were here to -"

"Did I just hear somebody call my name?" a very familiar voice cut his speech, and TK nearly swore as he fumbled in his pocket for his D-terminal.

"Izzy?" Yolei looked over TK's shoulder at the screen and gasped as she saw the redheaded teen smile back up at them.

"Great! I knew this would work!" Izzy said, looking behind him. He glanced back up at the three, who were staring down at the screen, transfixed and grinned widely, "Hey guys! Long time, no see, eh?"

_Meanwhile, at that very moment …_

Kari couldn't believe her eyes. Sure, she saw the real thing, and she was being led somewhere by the real thing … but she couldn't believe he was the real thing. Her eyes were fixed on the boy who was walking ahead of her, leading her through the fog that had strangely occurred not long from the time she gained consciousness.

_Whoever he is … _Kari thought, biting her lip hard in frustration. _That's not Davis …_

MeganicVeedramon was flying high above them, and in the raging mist, she couldn't see any sight of him. She hated to think that he had digivolved from the lovable Rookie she had known as Veemon.

"W-where are you taking me?" Kari asked, feeling her voice might vanish from using it too much. Especially using it on that question.

Davis didn't reply. He just kept walking, showing no signs of fatigue or exhaustion.

"Hey, I just asked you something! Answer me!" Kari cried out angrily.

Her companion stopped short, causing her to nearly bump into him. She shortly straightened up, pulling her bangs back from her forehead.

"Hn …" Davis turned around to face her, making her shiver unpleasantly at the sight of his crimson-red eyes.

Kari looked right back at him, refusing to show any sign of fear, but failing dreadfully.

"W-who are you?" she whimpered, hugging herself. "What have you done with Davis?"

Scornful laughter filled the air and Kari felt another chill run down her spine. Although she didn't exactly share Gatomon's ability to sense things, she knew that the energy this boy held was not common.

_He's pure evil … _she thought, horrified.

"I'm not exactly what you thought I used to be … you're friend, the Digidestined of Miracles …" he said, looking down upon her. "But at the same time, I'm that very Digidestined of Miracles ... just a little different."

Kari frowned and brought her hands, which were now curled up into fists, down by her sides. "What do you mean by that? Davis can never be like you!"

"Hn," the marked boy turned away from her, unmistakably smiling. "Think all you want … but he won't be back … I've taken over … I've always had …"

Kari watched him walk away a few steps, before saying coldly, "It would be best for you if you follow me …"

Blinking back tears, Kari followed him on through the mist, not knowing what to think anymore.

_In the Real World …_

"Izzy, you're a genius!" Tai said happily.

The older Digidestined were standing in a clearing in a small forest of the Digiworld, looking into the D-terminal. Their Digimon partners had joined them a few minutes after they appeared and now all they had to do was find the younger Digidestined.

"It was nothing; I just had to install a function that is as similar as a webcam into the D-terminal, so that allows us to communicate with Davis and the others easy …" Izzy explained.

"That's great," Matt said, moving over to look at his little brother. "Hey TK, how you doing?"

"Matt!" TK grinned, his blue eyes twinkling. "How did you guys – I mean … where are you guys?"

"In the Digiworld," Gabumon said, trying to take a peek at his partner's brother. He hopped up and waved, "Nice to see you again, TK!"

"You too, Gabumon …" TK said, smiling.

Yolei came up beside TK and she beamed at them, "Hey everyone! It's about time, you know!"

"Uh-huh … so where are you guys?" Izzy said. "We've activated a Digital Portal that would lead us to the Real World, so if you guys can make your way over to this area, we'll be off."

"That won't be a problem," TK said. His face seemed to fall, and the once-present sparkle that was in his eyes was gone. "But without Davis and Kari, I'm not sure we can do that …"

There was silence for a moment. Then Tai spoke up, his voice edgy, "What do you mean 'without Davis and Kari'? What about them?"

"Well … there was a bit of a problem …" TK said, and he told them what had happened from the moment they were attacked by Jijimon the previous state of Davis.

Tai blinked, not believing a word of it, "What do you mean? What had happened?"

"We don't know what else happened … I just told you what I know," TK said.

"Oh no!" Cody blurted out from where he stood with TK.

"What's wrong, Cody?" Yolei asked, fear shown on her face.

"If-if they're in the Digiworld, and … and we're also in the Digiworld … then …" Cody murmured out loud. His eyes widened, "This is bad!"

"What do you …" TK gasped slightly. He looked back at the screen, "Guys … there's a huge flaw in all of this … if you're in the Digiworld, how does it look so different as to where we are?"

"What do you mean?" Sora asked, her eyes narrowed.

Izzy nodded slowly, his eyes scanning the monitor. "I see what TK means …"

He turned around to look at his friends, "Guys, someone is playing a very clever game with us. Don't you get it? Look at the environment TK and the others are in!"

Tai looked closely at the screen, and saw that Izzy was right. Fog and darkness surrounded the younger Digidestined, while he and the older Digidestined were in the original surroundings of the Digiworld.

"What is this?" he cried.

"Izzy, didn't you check the weather forecast thingy before coming here?" Agumon questioned.

"Tentomon checked the place, he said everything was clear and he was never wrong before!" Izzy said his breath shallow.

"Damn …" Tai said, looking away. There was definitely a problem, and it seemed that something familiar had struck once again. The two people he was most terrified for, was his sister and Davis.

"We've gotta do something … fast …" he said, looking at the others.

Kari stifled a gasp, as a huge shape came into view over the fog. Her pulse quickened and her palms started to sweat.

Malevolence struck the air and an immense tower hung over them, its darkness stretching out wickedly. Kari stopped short for a moment, and then was jerked forward as Davis pulled her along.

They walked through the grounds, the fog still as thick as ever, with a mysterious chill in the air. Kari couldn't resist shivering as Davis led her up the weathered stairs of the edifice. After a few minutes, Davis stopped and turned around, his voice deep with iniquity, "We have reached our destination …"

From behind her, MeganicVeedramon landed with amazing agility. Kari knew no Digimon had enough power to use energy on flying and still be as quick as MeganicVeedramon was.

Kari's attention was turned as mocking laughter filled the air, and she gasped as two people walked over from out of darkness to Davis's side.

"Well done, Digidestined of Miracles …" the woman hissed, rubbing her gloved hands together. "I knew you'd do well …"

"Yes," the man agreed, diverting his interest to Kari. "As for you, we have been waiting a long time for this …"

Kari's blood ran cold, and she let out her words with a breath, "Y-you're … the two people … Frosty's"

"I'm glad you remembered us …" Rita said. She smiled wickedly, "Too bad you're friend here didn't … or at least, that's what he said, till we had to force him …"

And just like they had appeared, a form emerged on the ground, barely breathing.

Kari's hand came to her mouth, trying to muffle her shriek, "NO!"

Tears ran down her cheeks, and she slowly brought her hands down, never looking away from the boy lying on the floor, ragged and hurt. "K-Ken …"

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Author's Note: That was the best I could do for now. My exams are starting (NOOOOO!!!!) but don't worry, I'm gonna take time off of my winter vacation to continue. Anyways, hope you enjoyed it and review if you want!

Cheerio:D


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon …

Author's Note: Well, finally my exams are over!! Thank god … they seemed to go on forever. But now that they're finished, haha, time to start writing again! This chapter is probably dedicated to, er, all those who now have the pleasure of saying 'School's Out'!!

Now that my stinkin' exams are finished, I can finally continue with my work, and with work, I mean writing!

OK, my thanks goes out to those of you guys who have reviewed so far. A special batch of cookies goes out to you!

This chapter will contain Daikari (yaaaay! … finally) so it's probably about time too. Yippee!

Enjoy!

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Chapter Eight

The Warrior of Shadows

Kari ran forward, tears falling down her cheeks. She knelt down beside Ken and put a trembling hand on his shoulder; she hadn't seen him so beaten up before.

"Ken, what happened to you?" she asked, trying hard not to look at the three figures that towered over them. She was now so frightened, she couldn't speak properly. What did they do to Ken?

"Talk to me …" she whispered again, looking at the state of Ken's face. His left cheek had a deep cut but that was just the start. He looked almost unrecognizable. Kari's bottom lip started trembling uncontrollably, and she hastily wiped away her tears. She didn't want them to know she was weak, but it was already too late for that.

"No …" she breathed. "Ken … please get up!"

Rita laughed out loud, its sound echoing around the walls of the room. She clapped her gloved hands together, smiling manically, "Oh this is beautiful! Just think what will happen when all of them are here like this!"

Cyrius didn't smile. If anything, he looked frustrated … almost angry.

_This is creating a major effect …_ Cyrius thought, looking sideways at the Digidestined of Miracles. He was looking directly at Kari, constantly twitching his eyes and his hands had curled up into fists. The marks on his body seemed to convulse as well.

Kari brought her hands to her face and started sobbing, fresh tears taking place of those which had already fallen. She couldn't stay strong seeing a close friend in this condition.

"Kari …"

Kari gasped, looking up, astounded by the sound of that familiar voice. She stared up at the figure that stood between the other two. "D-Davis …?"

His head was bent down, his fists shaking by his side. The marks were flickering with grey every time he opened his eyes, which were halfway between the demonic red and chocolate brown.

"What – what's happening?" Rita snapped, an expression of fear replacing the smug one on her face. "What is this?"

_Where … where am I?_

Davis looked at the growing darkness around him. He couldn't see anything but darkness; an odd chill was in the air, making him grow numb.

"Veemon … Ken?" he called, frowning. "Anyone? … Hello?"

How did he get here? All he knew was that he was at the temple with the others, and the last thing he felt was excruciating pain.

He stepped forward, but the darkness still surrounded him, never leaving, holding that unpleasant feeling of despondency around. His pulse quickening, he started running, desperate to break free of this place.

"Veeeemon!" Davis yelled, bringing his hands to his mouth. "Where are you?"

He ran on, not giving in to the desperation that was weighing greatly onto him. His legs felt as if they were tied to boulders for some reason, but he didn't give up and kept on running. "Veemon?!"

After what seemed like ages, he fell on his knees, breathing hard. Sweat trickled down his forehead, and he felt compressed underneath the misery which looked like it had succeeded in beating him.

"Anyone?" he called weakly. He felt something was terrible wrong; that he'd be stuck in this place forever. _I'm trapped … too weak to do anything._

He closed his eyes, "I – I'm … useless …"

"Ken! No!" a voice cried from nearby.

Davis looked up; his eyes widening. He slowly stood up, realization dawning on him like the morning sun. That voice sounded like …

"Kari …"

He walked onwards, desperate to find his friend. She was sobbing uncontrollably now, and he felt terrible. Why was she crying? What had happened with Ken?

"Kari!" he called, looking around him, expecting to see Kari run out to him. His mind was creating horrible images that were not making this situation any better. Torturing images. _Please be OK …_

"D-Davis …?"

"Kari, it's me!" Davis shouted out. He scanned the mysterious surroundings. Where was she? As soon as he was about to call out again, he saw something bright shimmer at the corner of his eye. Turning around, he cried out as he noticed Kari on the ground, glowing faintly.

"Kari!" he ran towards her, his heart hammering inside his chest. His heart sank when he came closer to find her in the most dreadful state. Her usually shiny hair was ruffled up, hanging down at the sides of her face. Her school uniform was ripped in several places and her knees had gashes on them. She was shivering unpleasantly and was looking up at him, more tears appearing in her crimson-brown eyes.

"Kari …" he breathed, kneeling down. He looked into her eyes, noticing the shimmer that was so often there gone. He wanted to console her, to tell her everything would be alright. "Kari, don't cry …"

"What is this?" Rita spat, looking at the Digidestined of Miracles who was now halfway between himself and the demon. "What's happening, Cyrius? Do something!"

Kari stared at Davis, who was now kneeling in front of her. She looked into his eyes, surprised to find the warm chocolate-brown color back once again. He smiled reassuringly, making her feel secure.

"I'll put an end to this!" Cyrius yelled, raising his left hand up high. A black energy ball appeared, with lightning flickering around it. And it all happened at once.

Davis yelled out in pain, closing his eyes. The marks that had receded were crawling back onto him, bringing back the monster that had reinstated him.

"No! Stop!" Kari cried, looking at Cyrius who was brought his hand back down. "Don't do this to him! Please!"

Rita cackled, smiling with pleasure, "We're just putting him back to his rightful place … I think he belongs in the void he was in."

"Stop it!" Kari sobbed, turning her gaze back to Davis who had stopped shaking. "Stop …"

He looked back, his eyes crimson once again. The marks were back on his face, and Kari felt all hope crashing down around her.

"No …" she whispered.

"We will have to keep a close eye on him, Rita," Cyrius said. "We need him before we get rid of him once and for all. He could be more dangerous to Master's plans than we think he is."

_No! _Kari gasped. She couldn't even think of losing Davis like that! She couldn't let them use him like that … she wouldn't.

"Please don't!" she cried. "You can't do this!"

"Let him deal with her, Cyrius …" Rita said, glaring at Kari. "She's a real nuisance, and she takes an immediate result on him."

"Hmm …" Cyrius nodded. "That's right. But we need her for later on; we have to be very careful with her. Leave her for now."

Davis looked at Kari with malevolence. It didn't even look like he had changed from the enthusiastic boy he was once. Kari didn't want to believe it.

He stood up, intense power radiating from him, and turned around, disappearing into a dark vortex that had mysteriously appeared. In mere seconds, it twirled into oblivion.

"NOOO!" Kari shouted, horrified. "DAVIS!"

"Look her up, along with Ken Ichijoji. Master will deal with both of them when the time comes," Rita said. "For now our work is complete. All we need to look out for are the rest of those intrusive Digidestined."

"Right …" Cyrius agreed and he walked towards Kari, forming in his hands two strong bonds. Rita nodded and turned around, disappearing just like Davis had done.

Kari didn't say anything as she let Cyrius lock her hands firmly in the two bonds. She kept her head down, sniffing silently. It was useless to do anything else.

"Don't worry. All this will soon be over," Cyrius said, smiling spitefully. "Just be a good girl, and don't try to break free of these things … if you ever do, well, let's just say there will be no need for you here …"

He stood up laughing chaotically, leaving Kari crying silently. She stared after him, and then turned to Ken, who still looked lifeless. "Oh no …"

_Meanwhile …_

"Find anything yet, Izzy?" Tentomon asked, flying up to his partner, who was typing wildly into his laptop. "All this research is making my dizzy … wow, that rhymed!"

"Not yet Tentomon …" Izzy said. "There can be suggestions that connect to our situation but there has to be some logical explanation."

"So you're saying that Davis and the others are stuck in a separate dimension?"

"I don't know …" Izzy shrugged, biting his lip. "Maybe. We've come across weirder things before; this shouldn't make any difference …"

Tai stood up from where he sat on a nearby rock. He marched over to Izzy, frowning, "We still haven't found anything yet?"

"No … but we're trying."

"I don't want predicaments! I want results!" Tai cried, throwing his hands up in the air. "We've been trying this stuff out for hours! If we can't find anything, that's no good then!"

Izzy looked up, sighing, "Please Tai, we're gonna need you to cooperate with us …"

"Izzy's right, Tai …" Matt said. "We've gotta be patient if we want to find out what's wrong."

"I realize that, Matt. But how would you feel if your sibling gets kidnapped by your protégé and you've got no clue what's happening? TK's safe and sound but Kari's kidnapped, and Davis's turned evil … and we don't even know where Ken is."

Sora looked at Tai, sadly. She had always known Tai to be a bigger version of Davis; reckless, stubborn and brave. Although he had matured, she could still see the little kid she used to play soccer with. Tai had always been protective of Kari, always looking out for her, always seeing she was in no harm. It was obvious he'd feel this way.

"Tai …" she said, softly. "It's going to be OK. We'll find a way out of this mess, I know we will."

He stared at her for some while, before sighing and sitting back down on the rock. "Fine … it's just that … I don't want to see her get hurt …"

"You've never wanted to see her get hurt, Tai," Matt said. "I understand. I feel the same way about TK, I'm just not that defensive, cause' I know he can take care of things himself."

Matt was right. Tai had to give Kari space, to see what she could do by herself. He couldn't help it if it was something big, but that was because he had always been there for her, ever since they were kids … when Kari got ill. He squinted through the trees, the afternoon sun shining into his eyes. He loved this place, and the adventures they had when they were little; why shouldn't he let Kari have them? But this was different.

"You're right …" Tai said, nodding. "I'm sorry I blew my top … this situation is very risky, and it's not the same like the other adventures we've had."

"That's true …" said Matt.

There sat there in silence for a while, only Izzy typing away on his laptop. Tai was about to speak up to suggest whether they should set up camp when Biyomon came running up from between some oak trees.

"Sora, Sora, Sora!" she cried, running up the auburn-haired girl. "You've gotta come see this!"

"What's wrong, Biyomon?" Sora asked, frowning. They had let the Digimon wander around while they examined this mystery after they cut off the connection with TK.

"Well, I was just walking around with Agumon and Gabumon when there came this big shiny ray of light and we, we looked and well … you've just gotta see it!" Biyomon said, frantically. She pulled at Sora's hand and led her through the trees.

"Hey, what about us?" Matt asked, standing up.

"You guys come too!" Biyomon's voice called towards them.

Tai and Matt ran after the two. Izzy was too busy captivated in his research and said he'd come if it was something really important. From the sounds of it, it seemed it was.

"What was it you wanted to …" Tai began once they reached the destination, but stopped once he saw what the others were gawking at. An immensely bright light was shining at them from a tall tower situated nearby. It was made of glass, and looked surprisingly ancient.

"Woah!" Matt said, shielding his eyes from the light. "Some light!"

Something started vibrating against Tai's legs, and he reached into his pant pocket to find it was his Digivice. It was whirring and was shining almost as brightly as the light on the tower. "What's this?"

Matt pulled out his own to find it was reacting the same way as Tai's.

"What's happening?" Sora asked, looking at her own responding Digivice. She turned to Matt, "This is weird!"

"Izzy, come over here!" Tai bellowed, knowing this was definitely something imperative. "Quick!"

"Oh … this is useless …" Yolei mumbled. She was walking through the forest with TK and Cody, lagging behind. "I feel horrible."

"I feel the same way," Hawkmon said. He was resting in her arms, and still hadn't fully recovered from the battle. Out of the three Digimon, it was only Patamon who had healed successfully. He was riding on TK's head, staring straight ahead into the misty forest.

"Don't lose hope just yet Yolei," TK told her. "Anything can happen."

"I hope you're right, TK," Yolei said.

Following Izzy's orders, the three were supposed to move onwards through the forest, finding anything that had anything to do with this place on their way. It was better than letting something find them first.

"The thing I find really strange," Cody said, breaking the short silence, "Is why we're in another part of the Digiworld while Tai and the others are actually in the original Digiworld."

"Well, that's what Izzy's trying to find out …" said TK. He had to keep strong; he had to believe there would be a way out of this. The other two already felt discouraged, but he couldn't. He was the Digidestined of Hope.

"I just wish Ken's alright," Yolei said, her voice barely audible. "I don't know what I'd do if something happened to him …"

TK knew Yolei really cared about Ken. She had cared for him ever since he became a Digidestined … no wonder she became his girlfriend. She always said she would. Once she came up with this idea for a double date, her and Ken with him and Kari. Those were one of the many times when people mistook him and Kari for a couple. Everyone thought they'd be great together, that they were destined for each other. But TK, although he had feelings for Kari in the past, knew she was no possession. And surprisingly so did Davis.

Davis had become mature; although it didn't seem like it sometimes, just like Tai before him. He began treating Kari as a true friend, not just a crush and this strengthened his friendship with TK as well.

"That kid …" he muttered under his breath. He hoped he'd be able to put Davis back to his correct state. It seemed peculiar for Davis to be like he was now …

"Was there something you said, TK?" Patamon asked, looking down at his face.

"No … nothing,"

"You said something … are you thinking about Davis?"

TK sighed, putting his hands into his pant pockets. "Yeah, I am Patamon … I can't believe that's our Davis."

"Yeah, and who could believe that Veemon can digivolve to a monster like MeganicVeedramon?" Patamon said.

"Yep. I hope we can fix this mess before it gets even worse …"

"The time has come … bring him to me …"

Rita bowed down slow, shaking slightly, "Y-yes Master …"

She straightened up, turned around and hurried through the dark corridor, her footsteps echoing around the walls. She came to a door and pushed it open, whispering as she did, "Cyrius! The boy, we need the boy!"

"Right …" From out of the shadows stepped out Cyrius, his black cloak covering him from head to toe. For a moment they stood in the darkness in silence, till a distant thudding noise came from close by. Cyrius walked towards the source of the noise and came out of the dark carrying Ken in his arms.

"Where's the girl?" Rita asked.

"I've made sure she was out before I brought the boy in, don't worry," Cyrius replied, his grey eyes gleaming oddly.

"Excellent …" a smile traced Rita's lips as she walked back down the corridor. "So it begins …"

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Author's Note: Finally the eighth chapter is done! I've even gotta admit the story was getting kinda boring in the middle … but now it's turned a corner.

Review if you want and hope you enjoyed this chapter of the Digimon Millennium!

Cheerio!


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Nah, I don't own Digimon … sighs for the thousandth time

Author's Note: Thanks for your reviews, all you reviewers! But I still think I've let the actual flaunt of the story down … it's just not, right … damn, I've gotta work on this!

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Chapter Nine

The Shield of Light

"W-where am I?"

The sound of something droning had awoken Kari from her sleep, which wasn't exactly pleasant. She felt like she had a major migraine and that she was carrying a huge sack of something heavy on her back. As she blinked her eyes, getting used to the blinding light that was being shone to her; she felt all memory rush back to her.

"Oh no!" she cried. "Ken!"

She looked around to find with a sinking heart that she was indeed alone. She didn't want to believe all that had happened earlier in the day. Tears started welling up in her eyes as Davis's face and Ken's mangled body came into her mind. She sat up, trying to wipe away her tears.

"I've got to get out of here," she said, getting up. Her knees felt shaky, and it looked like she'd fall any moment, but she managed to stand upright with the help of the wall she was next to. _I wish Gatomon were here …_

Forcing her mind not to go anywhere near her friends, she looked around for any loophole out of this mess. "There's got to be something … anything …"

Kari made her way towards the window, the only one in the obstructed room. Looking outside of it, she gasped to find the ground miles below her. Where was she? Streaks of lightning flew down from the sky, making her jump brilliantly. "What is this?"

She narrowed her eyes, feeling the intense power that came from all around her. She had the aptitude to sense certain kinds of force, and this power was evil. Kari couldn't remember anything like it since MaloMyotismon. And just like then, she felt scared and useless.

"No!" she cried sharply. "I won't be weak! I won't!"

"Very good … It's nice to see you up."

And then all of her confidence came crashing down like bricks around her, hearing that voice.

"I wish I could say the same thing …" Kari croaked. She turned around, facing Rita who was smirking down at her from the door which was now unlocked.

"Hm," Rita walked forward. "I see your power also is beginning to open up …"

Kari looked at her with hatred. She and her partner greatly reminded her of Arukenimon and Mummymon. But she knew these two were much stronger, more powerful.

"What do you mean by that?" Kari snapped.

Rita shook her head in mockery, "Losing your temper is a bad thing you know. Leaves marks on your forehead …

"Why are you here?"

"We need you down at the chambers … immediately."

Kari said, "And what if I don't want to come with you?"

"Then you just go down with me the hard way," Rita replied, removing the smile off of her face.

Kari found she couldn't do anything else but follow her. Maybe she could find hints of the evil preparation while going down there. She walked forward and Rita led her out the door and through the dark passageway.

_I hope everyone else is alright …_

_Moments later …_

"Hey! Hey you guys, look over there!"  
Cody's yell broke TK out of his train of thought and he looked towards where the boy was pointing. He felt dread wash over him as he stared over at what seemed like a soaring tower, radiating its iniquity as far out as it could reach.

"It seems to be a tower of some sort …" Gatomon said.

Yolei stepped forward, her fists at her sides, "I don't care what sort of tower it is! As long as it's got any sorta clue to where this place leads us, I don't care!"

"Yolei, wait," Cody said. "What if it's too risky? We might not know if the others are here or whether this place does have answers for us, though it does look pretty mysterious."

Yolei turned to him, enraged, "I'm sick and tired of waiting, Cody! How long have we been waiting out here for, huh?"

"I know that, Yolei, but …"

TK frowned as he studied the tower more closely. There seemed something very familiar about this and he felt a sudden flashback hit him. That's when it happened.

"Woah!" he shouted out. Yolei and Cody looked back at the tower and gasped.

A brilliant burst of light stretched out from the base of the tower, blinding them. TK closed his eyes tight, his mind going through memories on its own. And just as it started, it stopped. It took a while for them to get used to the darkness that had yet again swallowed everything in sight.

"W-what was that?" Yolei whimpered.

"It was certainly very intense," Hawkmon said.

TK slowly opened his eyes and fear hit him hard in the chest. Those memories he had been seeing … he couldn't believe her power had gone that far out of its limits.

"Kari!" he shouted. The others looked at him in alarm and confusion.

"What happened to her?" Yolei asked.

"She's using her powers! I didn't even know she could summon them yet!" Gatomon said, apparently knowing what TK meant.

TK ran forward, his footsteps sinking into the ground making dark tracks. "Come on, you guys! We've gotta hurry!"

"This is entertaining," Cyrius said, watching Kari, locked up in her bonds, scream.

"Yes, it is, isn't it?" beside him, Rita said.

She had managed to bring Kari down to the chambers, where she locked her tightly to the bonds. Now she was constantly hurting her, making sure her powers came out just the way she wanted them to. The bonds were attached to the wall, making her hang down.

"Come on …" Rita said, smiling spitefully. "If you be a nice, little girl and give out your true powers then maybe I don't need to hurt you as much, although it is fun."

"Never!" Kari cried, her eyes shut tight in pain. It took all her effort not to let tears spill out, but it was getting harder hanging in.

Rita brought her hands up, creating a sadistic energy ball which crackled right near Kari's face. "See this?"

Kari either didn't, or couldn't. But she could feel the immense power it was giving out and she was trembling with shock after all the blows she had received.

"I will make sure you are as spoilt and as withered as that Ken Ichijoji, or maybe worse, if you don't let out your true powers …"

Cyrius looked at Ken, who was still unconscious. He took care of him when he was refusing just like Kari, and they had managed to just get little of his powers. Of course, they knew all along that he had possessed power, and great power. Together, if he and Kari Kamiya's powers combined, just the way Master wanted them to, then they would get enough control to destroy the Digital Gate, letting in the Digimon from the Dark Ocean and also destroying the seal from the Real World. The other humans out there all had to be the same as the Digidestined, officious … Master always wanted to get rid of that race, but he figured it would come in useful for his later plans.

"Careful Rita," Cyrius said. "We need her alive later on … her powers won't just come by violence."

The energy quickly faded in Rita's outstretched hand. She brought it down by her side and sighed, "Fine. But if we do get to finish them off, I'd like nothing better than to eliminate this one."

"That's all right with me," said Cyrius.

Rita looked at him. "Where is he? The Digidestined of Miracle?"

"I've got him safe somewhere …" Cyrius replied. "I think we should get rid of him. He's no use to us anymore … from what I've seen so far, we've weakened him enough that his Digimon partner can not even digivolve to its Champion level."

"Really?" Rita nodded. "Then I guess it's best if we do. These brats have been so cut off from the Digiworld the past year that even their crests have begun to weaken."

"Yes, they weren't prepared for all of this. They've all become pathetic …"

Kari, although nearly out cold, heard all what was being said and she couldn't believe that they had been that dense not to realize that they were needed, and that their crests had destabilized. She felt like breaking down just thinking about what will happen.

"What shall we do about the girl's D3?" she heard Rita ask, and all the blood rushed to her face. They had had it all along!

"I suppose she'd want it now after being so separated from it so long …"

"You're right."

Kari opened her eyes and watched Rita place the D3 next to her feet. She closed them quickly. _My – my D3 …_

"That's better. Now, if you may Cyrius, I think we have someone to get rid of."

Feeling her pulse racing with fear again, Kari wanted to shout out, to scream, to do anything that would stop them from summoning Davis. But she couldn't.

A huge rush of wind told her that Davis had appeared. She had to stop them from doing this, but she felt pathetic. _Please! No!_

"Nice to see you've come, boy," Cyrius said, roughly. "There's something we need you to do for us. It might just be the last ever order you take …"

Inside of him, the real Davis was screaming in pain. It intensified more than ever and he felt something terrible was to happen.

Kari squinted a little to see Davis kneel down in front of Cyrius, who gathered in his hands darkness energy just like Rita had done. Meanwhile, Rita stepped back, enjoying every minute of this moment.

Just as Cyrius lowered his hands to lay the energy onto Davis, Kari broke out.

"NOOOO!"

Kari was staring at both Rita and Cyrius with fear, and there was something else in her eyes. Hate.

"So she's broken out of her cocoon," Rita said, a dangerous look on her face. She walked towards Kari, "I'll take care of her."

But before she could reach her, bright light disintegrate from within Kari, shining everything in sight. Rita screamed brutally and stepped back, while Cyrius's energy flickered off in his hands.

The bonds that had fastened Kari's hands broke apart and she fell on the ground, landing on her feet. Her eyes were flashing dangerously, and the power she was giving out was extreme. Holding out her hands, she said forbiddingly, "Never – never will you even _think_ of hurting any one of my friends! Ever!"

Davis bowed his head, his eyes shut tightly. His breathing hastened and he clutched his arms agonizingly. He felt he was falling through a vortex, not knowing when it would end, not knowing whether he would wake up and find it was a nightmare. Then he heard a scream. His eyes flew open and he found he was in a dark, hollow chamber. Light was glowing from the midst of it and he could just make out a shape as he peered at it.

"Let's go, Rita!" a sharp voice made him turn his head, and he saw Cyrius grab Rita's hand. The next minute, they departed in a small current that appeared.

"Hey!" Davis yelled out, angrily. But it was too late to stop them now.

The light diminished slowly, and it was then that Davis made out the figure that had now fallen to the floor in her fatigue.

"KARI!" he ran towards her, wincing as he felt the twinge in his limbs. But he didn't care. Kari was hurt, and he had to go to her. He had to do something to help her.

He bent down and gently pulled her up from her waist. He supported her against him and his heart sank as he noticed the state she was in. Blood was dripping down from a cut made just underneath her eyes and her face was pale. Her uniform which was cut from the previous times she had been hurt, now was spotted with blood.

"Kari …" he whispered, hoarsely. "Kari!"

She peered slowly up at him, trying to ignore the pain that was throbbing more in her head than anywhere else. "D-Davis?"

"It's me, Kari. I'm here …" Davis looked down at her, relieved to know she was at least conscious.

"A-are you alright … now?" she asked. It seemed painful for her to breathe, let alone talk.

"I'm fine. What about you?" It was a stupid question to ask, seeing as she was in no state to even answer it, although she gave a small nod before closing her eyes and resting her head against his chest.

"Kari …" Davis ran a hand through her hair tenderly. He now understood that the reason Cyrius and Rita fled was because of her. Because of the light she gave off. And all to save him. "I'm so sorry …"

For a moment he sat there, looking down at the girl. He had always admired her. When he first became a Digidestined, he wanted to have full-on experience just like her and TK. That was probably why he envied TK, and why he wanted Kari to respect him back. He felt ashamed when he thought of the times he acted like such a goof over his crush on her back them. It was true; he did like her a lot. But over the years, it just vanished since they became such good friends. And Davis now grasped just how much his relationship with her meant, how much value it had to it. Because of what she did for him …

He stared at her for a while more, before placing her back onto the floor. He had to get them both out of here. Cupping his hands around his mouth, he yelled, "VEEEMON!"

"Where are you?" he called. "VEEMON!"

When he felt his voice might vanish, he fell onto his knees, feeling more disappointed and upset than ever. First Kari got hurt because of him, and now he couldn't find Veemon.

Suddenly, a crash occurred from nearby. Davis feared at the thought of those two back, back for vengeance, and him trying to uselessly defend himself and Kari. He walked unevenly back towards Kari and knelt down. Putting his arm around her petite form, he looked around; ready for anything that came at them. Whatever happened, he hated himself for being so weak. For making Kari do this to herself for him.

For a moment, there was silence. Davis thought that they'd be planning the best way to get in and give it to them. But nothing of the sort happened. Amazingly, a very familiar voice called out …

"Davis?"

Davis almost fainted with shock when he saw Veemon emerge from the broken entryway that was placed a few feet away. The Rookie's face lit up when he saw his partner and he ran towards him with his arms outstretched, "DAVIS!"

"Veemon!" Davis hugged him, picking him up and swirling him around. He was a bit amazed of the strength he had left, suddenly after seeing such a familiar face. And that being of his partner.

After he put him down, Veemon was about to open his mouth to say something when he noticed Kari on the floor out cold. "W-what … happened?"

Davis immediately became solemn once he turned back to Kari, "She … she got hurt while trying to save me."

"Oh no …" Veemon walked forward and knelt down next to the girl. She shook his head, "Gatomon will not be happy when she sees this."

"Hmm," Davis nodded. "But … where were you Veemon?"

Veemon shrugged, "I don't know. When I woke up, I found myself locked up in some sorta hall … I was searching for you when I came across -"

"VEEMON!" a voice screeched through the depressed chamber, echoing off its walls.

"Yolei?" Davis turned around to see, with relief, Yolei with the other Digimon running towards them. Behind her came TK and Cody, supporting the very battered Ken Ichijoji.

"What the hell happened?" Davis asked, getting up. He felt disgusted as he studied Ken, who was half-awake.

"I haven't got a clue," TK said, shaking his head in despair. "When we got here, we saw Ken on the floor … and – and …"

His voice trailed off as he saw Kari, unconscious on the ground. "Kari!"

Letting go of Ken, he ran towards his friend. This action caused Davis to take Ken's other side. He watched with sad eyes TK bending over Kari, calling to her as he tried waking her up.

"TK!" he called. "It's no use. I've tried what you're doing!"

"What," TK's voice had an edge to it, "happened to her? How did this happen?"

Davis didn't feel like explaining the incident, but he knew they had to find out sooner or later. Sooner was the best option here. He looked TK straight in the eye, trying to tell him the best way he could. "I was in trouble, and she saved me … but got hurt in the process …"

"Oh no …" Yolei fell to her knees near Kari's side. She was shaking with panic and anger. This made Davis feel even guiltier. He never meant to hurt any of his friends. He felt more culpable as he watched Gatomon stand by Kari, not saying anything but looking blankly at her.

"It's OK Davis …" Ken croaked, surprising him. Davis looked back at his best friend, who continued, "I know it's not … your fault."

"Ken …" Davis shut his eyes tight, trying to prevent tears from cascading out. He never imagined himself to be in the state he was in right now. "I … I …"

TK looked at the leader with misery. He had seen Davis cry before, but this was serious.

"It's my fault …" Davis said, burrowing his eyebrows in frustration. "If … if it weren't for me, Kari never would've been like this …"

"Davis, shut up," TK said, getting up.

"No!" Davis yelled, opening his eyes. He let go of Ken and walked forward. "I'm weak! I'm frail!"

He looked at TK walk right up at him. The two of them were the same height now, courtesy of Davis's soccer practices and puberty. Four years ago, he would've been looking up at TK in fury.

"What are you –?" he began but couldn't finish his sentence as TK punched him hard across the face. Pain made way to replace his guiltiness, and in his mind's eye, he could see his mentor being punched across the face by Matt.

"There, are you all better now?" TK asked, mockingly. He almost burst out laughing at the sight of Davis's expression. If only he had a camera.

"What did you do that for?!" Davis roared, suddenly furious.

Now TK really needed that camera. He felt he had warped back in time back to the days they used to have tremendous fights.

Yolei started giggling. She thought herself mad to laugh in such a situation but she couldn't help it. And immediately, the whole group started laughing. Even Ken chuckled.

"WHAT?" Davis cried, angrily. "TF hits me and all you guys start laughing? Jeez!"

"I've gotta thank Matt for all those pep talks we've had," TK said to Yolei, winking. "He also taught me some of his moves … pretty good, eh?"

"They're great!"

Davis felt he'd burst with anger. But soon, he started cracking up as well. It had been such a long time since he'd laughed like this; he forgot how it was like. And he owed it all to his friends.

"See Davis," Cody said, smiling. "You've gotta learn to forgive yourself."

"Yeah," said Ken. "And if I remember correct, wasn't it you who told me the same thing? Amusing how things like this work, isn't it?"

Davis nodded, beaming. "You can say that again …"

He became serious at once as he walked towards Kari and knelt down. He placed a hand on her shoulder, looking down at her beaten, yet beautiful face, "I just wish Kari was awake. It kills to see her like this."

TK studied Davis as he stared at the girl. Something definitely had changed between those two, just as he predicted. Davis had grown more caring of Kari and she in turn, became his close friend. And it all happened when Davis stopped trying to be someone he wasn't … when his crush on her died. TK also noticed something different about the way Davis felt hatred towards himself because of Kari … TK nodded in realization. His crush hadn't faded at all … it had bloomed into something much more, and without Davis realizing it.

"Pathetic …" TK murmured, knowing Davis wouldn't believe him if he told him.

"Was there something you said, TK?" Patamon asked.

"Oh, nothing, nothing …" TK said, putting on an innocent expression. "Nothing at all …"

Veemon looked at Davis, "Shouldn't we get going now? What if Cyrius and Rita come back?"

"Who and Who?" Yolei asked with her hands on her hips.

"Cyrius and Rita," Davis said, getting up. "The two goons we saw in Frosty's. The man and the women. Turns out they're the perpetrators in this case …"

"But what do they want?" Armadillomon inquired.

"They're planning on destroying the Digital Portal …" Ken replied, his voice a bit stronger.

"What?" Gatomon said, shocked.

Ken nodded. "Yeah. They told me all about it when they held me prisoner … their Master wants to get rid of the Digital Portal so the seal to the Real World and the Dark Ocean could be broken."

TK frowned, thinking of that place that he was once transported to. The place that Kari feared above all. "The Dark Ocean …"

"We did seal the portal to it," Hawkmon said. "How can he break it?"

"If he turned Davis into a monster, he could definitely do something like that," Yolei said.

"What!?" Davis said. His face lit with insight, "So … I was a monster?"

Cody nodded, "Yes. And you were very powerful."

"Kari must've been trying to save you from becoming what you had," TK said. "She has powers that she can't control. No wonder she's like this!"

"That's what they wanted," said Ken. "They wanted her powers, along with mine."

"But wait a minute!" Yolei interrupted. "You've got powers? I never knew that!"

Ken shook his head, "So didn't I. They tortured me, trying to get it out … the same they did to Kari, only she has a purpose in this plan."

Davis looked at Ken, "But … how do you know all this?"

Cody helped Ken sit onto the ground carefully. Sighing, Ken began talking, "Well … it was a few years ago … when I …"

"Yes, go on …" Davis said, knowing Ken was uncomfortable with the topic of himself as the Digimon Emperor.

"Anyways … I had just come back from destroying a certain Digimon village when, when these two appeared. They came out of nowhere. Wormmon told me they had been waiting for me."

He continued. "They wanted to make a deal. They said that if I help them destroy the seal to the Dark Ocean, they could help me make my minions stronger and more dominant … I declined the offer since I wanted to take control over the Dark Ocean as well. Surprisingly, they didn't get angry or anything of the sort. They just smiled and thanked me, and vanished … and now, I saw them again, and they said that they can make me become what I once was …"

"Oh Ken!" Yolei said.

"And I declined again … so they said they would take out my power with force. After that, well … I was unconscious …"

Davis looked at his friend for a while. He had been so brave to stand up against what he believed was wrong. That was what he expected in himself.

"But wait …" Veemon said, frowning. "Where is Wormmon?"

"Yeah Ken," said TK.

Ken closed his eyes tight, "I don't know … when we appeared in this place, he wasn't with me."

They stared at one another in silence. Either Wormmon was left in the Real World, or he was lost alone in the Digiworld … Davis felt horrible. If Ken lost Wormmon again, he'd feel heartbroken. He had lost him once; he'd never want to lose him again.

Yolei bent down next to him and put an arm around his shoulder affectionately, "Don't worry Ken. We'll find him, I know we will …"

Ken slowly smiled at her, fondness shone in his eyes. "Thanks Yolei …"

TK beamed, watching them. He looked at Davis, "What do we do now?"

"I don't know. We move on …" Davis replied. "I'm sure glad Tai's not here; he would've gone crazy if he knew what happened to his little sister."

"Oh yeah! That reminds me – Tai and the others are in the other part of the Digiworld," TK explained. "Izzy managed to contact us, and it looked like they were in the original Digiworld while we were in another part … so they're trying everything they can to break in or find some sort of gate."

"That's great," said Davis. "So does this mean that this place is like, an illusion?"

Cody shook his head, "This isn't an illusion like MaloMyotismon. Trust me, it's very different … almost real."

"That's just great …" Veemon mumbled. He groaned and held his stomach, "I'm hungry!"

Everyone laughed. It was nice to know Veemon and Davis were back to their normal selves. Yolei giggled, "I'm sorry, Veemon. I had the food but it all got wasted during the battle we had with you guys …"

"What are we gonna do?" Veemon cried, alarmed. "I need food!"

Davis grinned and patted him hard on the back, "Doesn't matter, pal. If we wanna be strong, we've gotta maintain our diet program."

"What? By being starved to death?" Veemon wailed. "I thought it was the other way round."

Davis rolled his eyes while the others grinned at the Digimon's behavior. "Well … I guess we should head off now."

TK nodded, "Yeah. It's good we're all reunited … now we can properly plan on what to do."

"Yeah, well here's the first problem we need a plan on," Yolei said. She looked sadly at her best friend lying on the floor, "Who's gonna support Kari?"

"We can always put her on one of the Digimon," said TK.

Davis frowned, "But the problem is not one of our Digimon can digivolve … this is a predicament."

"Well, one of us can always carry her …" Cody pointed out. He stared at all his friends' confused faces, and hurried on. "I mean – not carry! There can be two people to support her."

"I guess we're the two for that," TK said to Davis. "Since the others might wanna help Ken."

Davis nodded. He walked over to Kari and with the help of TK, hoisted her up carefully. One arm was draped around Davis's neck while the other one around TK's.

"I guess we're ready," Davis said, looking around at everyone's determined faces. He spoke up, "Now our next goal is to find Cyrius and Rita and stop them from what they're trying to do!"

"Right," everyone said in unison.

They walked out of the chamber, two being supported, on their way to another quest. And just like the last times, to save the Digiworld from a newer evil.

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Author's Note: FINALLY! It took me a whole day to complete this chapter!! I hope it turned out alright; my imagination for the day was poured out into it.

Anyways, review if you want. And those of you who constantly review, a million thanks goes are on their way to you!

Cheerio!


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own Digimon … the story's mine, though!

Author's Note: Thanks for your reviews! Appreciated greatly. It's about time the others ran into Ken, even I was starting to lose my patience. The story's coming to a close pretty soon, but I'll need to cram all that's in it to the last few chapters since I totally wasted my time with the previous ones.

Please read and as always, review if you want!

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Chapter Ten

The Storm of Transport

"Wow, this place is huge!" Tai said, looking around at the interior walls of the tower. The older Digidestined had decided to examine the edifice to see if it had anything to do with the other part of the Digital World. Izzy walked way ahead of the others, immensely interested in what he saw.

"Tell me about it," Matt whistled. "This could be used as the head building for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration!"

Gabumon looked at him, his eyes wide with curiosity, "Since when did you become so interested in space?"

Matt smirked, "Since when did you know what NASA was?"

"Well, Sora told me when us Digimon were in the Real World. I was watching this real cool space show on TV when -"

"Hey guys! Check this out!" Izzy's voice interrupted their conversation, and the group hurried over. They gasped as they saw what Izzy was pointing at.

It seemed to be a huge screen, marked with crimson spots. The surroundings in it were dark and mysterious and there were some characters moving across the screen. Tai's eyes widened in disbelief as he noticed the symbols they comprised of.

"Isn't that … the Crest of Hope?" Matt said, noticing his brother's crest symbol.

"Hold on a second!" Izzy shouted. "The others! That's them!"

Sora grinned, "Yeah, it is! That's great, now we know where their location is!"

"Yeah, but what exactly is this?" Agumon asked. "It looks like a tracking device."

"It's a bit like that," Izzy said. "Only it's also the map of the other side of the Digiworld! Where the others are at!"

Tai frowned, spotting a distinction. He pointed to the pink crest mark, "Then … why is Kari's symbol blinking?"

"Yeah, and Ken's as well," Gabumon said, nodding forward.

They stared at the screen in silence, watching the crests move across the map. Kari and Ken's crests were blinking brightly and fading each second. It was strange how those two were the only ones that were. The others were perfectly fine, glowing normally.

"Well … this is difficult," Izzy said, folding his arms. He was just about to open his mouth to say something when a faraway voice broke in on the dialogue.

"I'm here!"

Tai almost fell over, recognizing in an instant whose singsong voice that belonged to. "W-what is she doing here?!" he blurted out as soon as he recovered. He pointed towards the entry of the tower, where stood none other than Mimi Tachikawa with her Digimon partner, Palmon. Mimi's hair was dyed back to its original cinnamon-brown, from the red color it was a few weeks back from what she told Sora. But the normal-hair occurrence didn't stop her from wearing fashionable outfits. Joe hung behind her, engaged in a discussion with his Digimon, Gomamon.

"Mimi!" Sora said, happily, running towards her best friend. Both girls squealed at the sight of each other and began talking excitedly the instant Sora approached Mimi.

"Never in my life will I understand girls …" Matt murmured, shaking his head,

"How in the surface of the Digiworld did she get here?" Izzy said, frowning. He was always a little irritated of Mimi.

Joe reached them, his hands clasped together, "Well, the thing is. My shift at the hospital was finished so my time was free. I decided to join you guys in the Digiworld, and I also sent a message to Mimi asking if she'd like to come alone as well …"

"How did you get here?" Tai asked as Mimi waved at him. He smiled at her, nodding.

"I told her where you guys were located, and I took the Digigate nearest here. She did the same …" Joe explained. He only now realized the screen that was in front of them and he stood aghast at the sight of it.

"Shocked?" Matt asked, grinning at the well-known scared expression of his.

"What the heck is this?" Joe asked, stepping forward.

"I'm not gonna explain, this is far too complicated," Agumon piped up, sniffing loudly.

Izzy sighed, and started on clearing up their confusion. When he had finished telling them what this was about, Joe and Mimi looked horrified.

"So, it's happened again?" Mimi asked, a worried look etched on her pretty face.

"You can say that," Tai said. "Except now this crisis is darker than ever …"

"We've gotta help them!" Palmon cried, staring in alarm at the screen. "What if they're in trouble, or something?"

Izzy nodded, "We're doing everything we can … we've managed to gain contact with the others, but we can't reach them face-to-face."

"Then you're not trying hard enough," a very familiar voice entered the discussion.

Tai and Matt looked around the tower in haste, Izzy almost dropped his laptop and the others made similar movements of surprise.

"G-Gennai!?" Tai said, unable to believe his ears. He was sure that if he got more shocks like this, he might get a heart attack.

"Hello Tai. I'm glad you remembered me, although your reactions were very entertaining," Gennai's voice boomed through the tower.

"Then … where are you?" Sora asked.

"Oh, yes, I might have to mention the fact that you might not be able to see me. I can see you, though."

"That's great!" Izzy said, thrusting his laptop open. He began typing at random speed, "Gennai, you've gotta tell us where you're speaking from!"

"I'm afraid that isn't going to work, Izzy. Don't you think I've already tried connecting the Digital gates to the seal of the Real World?"

Izzy's fingers hovered over the keyboard for a second before he closed his laptop shut. He bowed his head, sighing.

"What would that have done?" Matt asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"The gates together would have strengthened the deal, and the consequence is that they would've been deleted as well."

"Then isn't there any other way to open the entrance to this other side of the Digiworld?" Tentomon asked.

"And what is this 'other side' thingamabob?" Mimi said, making quotation marks with her fingers on the two words.

"Well, let's just say that the region had been hidden since even before I became guardian … and now that its creator's returned, it has revealed itself. When I found out about this, I desperately tried releasing the gate to this place, but my efforts were useless."

"So what would we have to do to break into this reign?" Tai asked with a determined look on his face. If only his goggles were strapped to his head, it would've looked like a sight from eight years ago.

"There are strange vortexes appearing in certain areas of the Digiworld. The return of their originator is the cause of their rebirth. Go into them, and they will take you directly to the other realm."

"Well, that's easy," Biyomon chirped happily.

"Actually, it's not," Gennai's voice turned very serious. "It's very hard to in fact get _into_ a vortex. It had to be satisfied with you, that it's whisking you off into the other reign."

"So, those things have minds of their own?" Sora asked, horrified.

"Something like that. You must be the object of their attention in order to get stuck inside the vortex."

Mimi said, "Then … how do we do that?"

There was silence.

"Gennai?" Tai asked.

"You'll have to cause chaos. So that they know you're all intruders and they capture you within their grip."

"Hey, this sounds like a scene from one of the comics you had when you were eleven, Tai!" Agumon said, grinning.

Tai smiled at the virtuousness of his partner, before turning his attention back to Gennai. Or rather his voice. "Alright, we get that, Gennai. But what exactly is _this _place? This tower?"

"Oh this? It's just a little place I'd like to call home for some of my fellow guardians."

"You mean your clones?" Gomamon brought up.

"Yes. One of them knew about this other realm long before I. In fact, I found out when he told me about it. I don't know where he is right now, but he left this map of the realm."

"Uh-huh, we noticed it," Tai said.

"I wish I can help you more, but I have other matters to attend to," Gennai said. "Matters which are involved in this very serious case. I will explain further issues later on. The best of luck to all of you, Digidestined."

A humming noise occurred after his speech, leaving the Digidestined silent, looking at one another.

_In the Other Reign …_

Davis didn't know how long they had been walking for. All he knew was that his feet felt heavy and his mind was screaming for sleep. But he couldn't rest till they at least came to a safer location. Ken had begun to heal. He could now walk by himself, although not as fast as the others, but it was a start.

Kari gained consciousness but still needed support; Davis and TK were there for that. It had took a while for her to wake up since they escaped the dark tower, and Davis couldn't help but be thrilled at the improvement, though she was still injured.

"So how long do we have to keep walking for, Davis?" TK asked with his face down with fatigue. "I think we should rest a while …"

"Seriously, TK," Davis replied. "I agree strongly with what you're saying. But it would be better if we seek shelter in a safer position."

TK nodded his agreement and stopped a moment to adjust his grasp on Kari.

_He really is a great guy,_ Davis thought, remembering when his sister, Jun had said those words before. He always used to think TK's heroic act of goodness was just to showoff in front of Kari, but now he saw that it was really his gift. Davis had begun to be good friends with him since he pushed aside his crush for Kari, and he saw what he was too blind to see in probably all his friends.

Davis was too busy absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't hear Yolei calling him. He looked up to find her looking at him, troubled. For a minute, he thought that those marks had crept back onto his face, but nothing of the sort happened.

"What is it, Yolei?" he asked, frowning.

"Look over there," she said, facing the dim landscape. She pointed forward at some indistinct shape that was constantly stirring, hidden in the mist.

Davis's frown deepened and his hand twitched towards his pocket where the D3 was placed, "What is it?"

"It looks like … a Digimon," Ken croaked, his eyes huge with fright. "I can feel it!"

He yelled out loud and fell to his knees, clutching his stomach.

"Ken!" Yolei cried, rushing to him.

Wheezing hard, Ken looked up at his friends, "We've gotta … RUN!"

"What do you mean, Ken?" Davis asked, his heartbeat speeding up. "What is it?"

Ken shook his head, "Just … DO IT!"

He nodded and looked at Yolei, "Yolei, help Kari! I'll assist Ken!"

Yolei ran forward and took Kari's arm while Davis went forward and helped Ken off the ground. "Cody, you too!"

Cody took Ken's other side and as fast as they could, they turned the other way round. It wasn't the fastest way of movement but Davis knew they had no choice.

"We've got … to hurry!" Ken grunted, his eyes closed tightly.

Before they could go any further, they heard a deep voice boom out. "Darkness Zone."

Davis blinked, his blood going cold. In mere seconds, they were surrounded by obscurity. Ken shouted out in pain and slid to his knees. Davis didn't help him up this time, knowing it was no use now that they couldn't see anything.

"Davis!" TK yelled out. "We've gotta stay together!"

"Right!" Davis replied and managed to edge closer to the source of his voice. Faint noises of footsteps nearby told him Cody did the same, all the while helping Ken too.

Davis felt around, trying to get what he could of the others. He grabbed a hand, and recognizing it was limp, he realized it was Kari's. He squeezed it briefly, as if trying to assure her without words that everything would be alright.

"This looks familiar!" Patamon's voice broke through the darkness. "Where have I seen this attack before?"

Silence followed after that. The air was filled with tension, the Digidestined clearly trapped, now knowing what it was that had launched this attack.

"Virus Grenade …" the voice rumbled out again and shards of energy balls came flying out at them from the darkness.

Davis yelled painfully, as one rammed onto his back. Hearing shouts from around him, he knew that the others had been hit as well.

"It's Apocalymon!" Gatomon hissed. "We need to get outta here!!"

Davis felt a pang of fear for Ken and Kari, the two who were hurt before all this. What would their condition be right now? He tightened his grip on Kari's hand and pulled her towards him. He had to at least protect one of them. Throwing his arms around her, he tried shielding her from the barrage of energy that was being thrown at them. He bit his lip so hard to prevent screaming out loud, that he tasted blood in his mouth.

"Somebody get Ken!" he yelled out, gasping as another blow hit him on the shoulder. He didn't know who got Ken, or whether he was being defended or not, but he felt the same dreadful feeling of worthlessness.

"Please … get him …" he breathed. He couldn't take anymore of the pain that was increasing the second. He slowly fell to his knees, his arms still around Kari, stupor replacing his strength.

"No …" his eyelids strained to stay open but failed. The last thing he felt was Kari growing warmer and then nothing.

_Back in the original side …_

"So … is everyone ready?" Tai asked, looking both sides at his group who stood around him. It was time to act. It had taken some time before they found what they were looking for; a dark vortex that spun around further ahead of them.

"Whenever you are," Matt said, keeping his eyes on the twister. "This is gonna be fun."

Tai grinned and turned back to face the vortex, "Alright then, ready … GO!"

And at once they proceeded. Tai helped Mimi climb onto Greymon and he mounted behind her. At once, the Champion took off through the plains. Feeling the wind soaring through his hair, Tai laughed. He missed this experience so much. To his left he saw Matt and Izzy on Garurumon and Sora and Joe on Birdramon. The rest of the Digimon ran behind them, prepared to assault.

"Nova Blast!" Greymon opened his mouth to let out a ball if fire, which just missed the vortex by inches.

"Careful, Tai!" Mimi squealed, holding on firmly. "My hair's getting messed up!"

"Lighten up, Meems!" Tai chuckled. "This is just like it used to be!"

"Howling Blaster!" Garurumon roared from nearby and a flash of energy flew past Greymon and crashed into the rocks by the twister.

"An 'A' for effort, Matt!" Sora called, laughing. Matt looked up at his girlfriend where she leaned on Birdramon, confusion etched on his face.

"Meteor Wing!" Birdramon's attack came whizzing towards the vortex, missing it just as Tai's had done. Sora grinned, proud of her shot.

"That was pretty good, Sora, but there's gotta be second attempts at everything!" Matt said, smirking. "Go get 'em Garurumon!"

"Slamming Attack!"

And that was how the battle of the attacks started. Without anyone realizing it; they were having too much fun to care. It felt strange, seeing as the situation they were in was very serious for all of this. They also had the upper hand; the vortex was beginning to spin rather faster.

Tai whistled low as Birdramon launched her third assail near the vortex. He laughed, loving every minute of it when Mimi shook his arm violently and almost deafened him with her screams, "Hit it, Tai! HIT IT! SHOW THEM WHAT YOU'RE MADE OF!"

"Okay, okay, Mimi!" Tai groaned, wincing. The girl was having just as much fun as the rest of them, but if she wasn't careful, she could leave Tai crippled for the rest of his life.

"Nova Blast!" Greymon's attack shot out and, to everyone's surprise, hit the vortex instantly.

"Direct Hit!" Kabuterimon said.

Greymon stopped running and stared straight ahead at it. Mimi tightened her grip on Tai's arm, making him flinch but he too was unable to take his eyes away from the vortex. Around him, he noticed the others slowing down as well.

"Oh my …" Sora said, her eyes as wide as saucers.

The vortex was expanding. It stretched out, amazingly vast, and its color darkened to a terrible extent. A strange current roamed in the air, mysteriously pulling them towards it.

_This is it …_ Tai thought, holding on to Greymon securely.

The current intensified in a second, its force of that like a tornado's. Tai felt his hair streaming back and he yelped as Greymon was suddenly pushed towards the vortex. The others experienced the same thing, and before they knew it they all flew into the windstorm. He closed his hand around Mimi's and felt Greymon dedigivolve back to Agumon.

"Tai!" he cried, grabbing hold to his shoulder.

"Stay close!" he yelled, seizing his Digimon partner by the arm. He was confused by what he saw around him. Agumon and Mimi were by his side, and Palmon, Joe and Gomamon were closing in. He couldn't see Matt, Sora or Izzy. This was not part of the plan. They had to stay together!

Before he could say more than a word, he felt himself being swallowed by complete and total darkness.

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Author's Note: Well, I'm done for the day. I decided to fill this chapter on the older Digidestined's side although it did have some action on the younger.

I don't know where I got the idea of The Battle of the Attacks from but I kinda enjoyed writing it. Oh, and I made some sorta closure between Tai and Mimi. Don't get the wrong idea, I'm not planning to squeeze Michi into this story … but that's up to you! I've been watching the episodes from Season One where Princess Mimi captures Tai, Joe and the Digimon. So I guess I wanted to make something on their friendship. Anyways, review if you want.

Cheerio!


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. If I did, well, I woulda considered myself Queen of the World!!

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Chapter Eleven

Digidestined Separated

"Davis? … Davis!"

Eyes snapping open, Davis found himself looking into a pair of crimson-brown eyes. Heartbeat quickening, he saw it was Kari staring down at him in concern.

"K-Kari?" he said, his voice husky.

Kari immediately smiled, relief washing over her face, "Great! You're awake!"

She helped him sit up, and when he looked around closely, he saw that TK and Yolei were also smiling, hurt but still smiling.

"Where … where are Ken and Cody?" Davis asked, noticing the two weren't around.

Yolei said, "They're just gone to collect some wood. We might not have Flamedramon to help us make fire, but we can try."

Davis nodded and looked sideways to see Veemon lying next to him, a bushed out look on his face. He reached out a hand and rested it on his head, patting him.

"But … there are no woods here," Davis said, noticing the still-thick fog around him. "What if they get lost?"

"They won't," TK said, reassuringly. "The woods were quite near the tower. And Patamon and Armadillomon are with them. They could've easily analyzed the path they took."

Davis nodded again. He was still confused about Apocalymon. Why had he just appeared like that and attacked them? He knew some Digimon were very protective about their territory, and it was obvious a Digimon like Apocalymon would live here but it was still mystifying.

"Are you OK now, Kari?" he asked her. She looked healthier than before. More active.

"Never better, Davis," Kari said. "Oh, and TK told me just how much you were concerned about me."

Davis shot a death glare to the blonde, who smirked. He would've killed him if he wasn't in such a weak condition. Then the next thing Kari said made him have second thoughts about killing TK.

"Thanks Davis …" Kari said, softly, looking down at her hands which were holding to her skirt. "I'm very grateful for that."

Davis felt his cheeks warming up and he looked away to hide his blush, "Oh … it was, er, nothing."

TK grinned at the sight of Davis's reddened face and from the sound of Yolei's giggle, it seemed she was enjoying the cute sight as well. He hadn't seen him in such an awkward position since their last adventures in the Digiworld.

Davis straightened up before he made any other silly actions. He felt even more confused than ever. Why was he suddenly so nervous around Kari?

"So … we should, er, contact Izzy and the others, don't you think?" he asked, trying to avoid Kari's gaze.

TK nodded, "I already did that. But the signal was blocked for some reason. All I heard was a weird beeping noise … it's very strange, but it just might have something to do with this mist."

"You're right, TK," Kari agreed.

"Since when did you become Izzy Izumi?" Davis asked him, rather hotly.

TK felt his smile widen. Looks like he had just pushed Davis's button, and the one which was probably hidden for the past four years.

"Well … I do study hard at school," TK said, reasonably.

Davis closed his mouth, perplexed. Now he was shouting at TK? He was beginning to act like an eleven-year-old. Ashamed, he turned away from them, trying to think about something else other than this.

"So guys … any ideas for food?" Yolei asked, glumly. "I'm so hungry, I could eat a horse …"

"Same here, but I see no hope in finding any food the rate we're going," Hawkmon piped up, unexpectedly.

"We could roast you, Hawkmon," Yolei joked.

"I'm all skin and bones, besides, it's the ducks you want," Hawkmon said, grinning.

Davis smiled, "Good to know there's still humor in the air."

_Ah, but that's not the only thing … _TK thought, smugly. _Love is in the air as well …_

He didn't know why he was suddenly so interested in the relationship between Davis and Kari. Maybe because it was about time they found out they liked each other. TK only liked Kari as a friend, and he loved her as a sister. He thought way back then that maybe they were supposed to be together, but he never felt that way about her. There was someone he felt attached to though, but she was on the other side of the world … at least that's what he told himself.

"OK so … where do we go from here next?" Kari asked Davis, who immediately perked up.

Trying hard not to sink into those eyes again, he swallowed hard, trying to concentrate on her question, "Er … let's just wait for Ken and Cody. Then we'll decide."

His head was swarming with thoughts. Her eyes were starting to work their magic on him … just like when they were eleven. Davis shook his head firmly. No, he wasn't going to let stupid thoughts get in the way of his and Kari's friendship. He wouldn't want to lose her if he thought like that.

_.Older Digidestined._

"Agumon! Agumon, where are you?"

Tai looked around the vast land of dark terrain around him, knowing he was indeed alone. An odd chill was in the air, making him shudder terribly.

"Maaatt!" he called. "Sooora?!"

The last thing he remembered was that he had entered the vortex with all of them, and then he had suddenly dropped down into this land. He noticed all the characteristics of the place, and he realized that this was probably the Other Reign Gennai told them about. Where Kari was …

As he was about to move onwards, he heard someone screaming. A very high-pitched scream. Almost too familiar. Panic arouse him and he was going to shout out to her when he heard it was unexplainably coming from above him.

Looking up, he gawked to see Mimi falling down towards him. He was about to move but in a second, she fell, knocking the breath out of him.

"Phew … thanks for the safe landing, Tai," Mimi said, smiling.

"Mimi – get off me!" Tai yelled, his voice muffled on the ground. "You're … heavy!"

"Oops!" Mimi shot up, and giggled. "Silly me!"

Tai rolled his eyes and stood up. Well … Mimi was here. But where were the rest of the guys?

"So, where are the others?" Mimi asked, looking around. Her smile faltered, "W-we're alone?"

As soon as she said that, more yells were heard from above them and this time Tai was ready. He grabbed Mimi's wrist and pulled her out of the way before Joe, Agumon and Palmon fell on her. Gomamon landed safely on Joe's head, just as Mimi had on Tai.

"Ouch …" Joe groaned. "Gomamon, would you please get off me?"

"Oh, sorry Joe!"

Joe stood up, straightening his shirt and hitching his glasses up his nose. Once he'd finished, he had noticed the environment they were in and frowned, "Er, guys … where exactly are we?"

"This is the Other Reign, Joe," Tai said.

"Really?" Joe folded his arms. "I thought it would be better than this."

Mimi nodded, "So did I. I expected it t be as beautiful and as dazzling as the Digiworld … except this is the Digiworld, right? Anyways, this place is so shadowy!"

"Hey, can we contact Matt and the others?" Tai asked Joe.

Joe took out his D-terminal, "I might be able to send a message. If they're here, then they can receive the message and will reply."

As Joe got ready to write the message, Tai looked out onto the landscape, his eyes narrowed, "We will find an answer to all of this!"

_I will find you, Kari! _Tai frowned, his hands curled into fists. _Nothing will happen to you!_

_.Younger Digidestined._

"Sorry guys, but this was all we could find," Cody's voice broke through the silence the group was consumed in.

Davis asked, "Hey, what took you guys so long?"

"The fog," Ken merely said. "It was difficult to find the forest, but Patamon flew onwards, continuously checking on what was near us."

"Good work, pal!" TK said, grinning at his partner.

Patamon bowed his head, shyly, "Aaw, it was nothing!"

"Once we've got the fire started," Yolei said. "I'm gonna unbelievably take a little nap."

"No!" Ken snapped, suddenly. He flushed when he saw everyone's expressions, "I mean … you can't go to sleep here. You'll get utilized by this darkness … it makes you really drowsy."

Davis knew he was right. Like the time they had settled down in the forest, they felt completely hopeless. No wonder the Digimon couldn't digivolve.

"Oh …" Yolei blinked. "How do you know?"

"Sure I've been unconscious, but I've heard what Rita and Cyrius have been discussing …" Ken explained. His eyes flashed a warning, "I'm telling you. Do not fall asleep."

Davis sighed in frustration and stood up, "What the heck are we supposed to do then?!"

"Davis … calm down, we'll find a way out of this," Kari said, soothingly.

"No Kari!" Davis reacted, his anger pulsing up. "We won't! Just how long has it been since we've landed in this place, anyways? Months? Our Digimon can't even digivolve and what use is that?! We're totally useless!"

TK shook his head. _Here he goes again …_

"Listen here, Davis!" TK said, getting up. "How many times have I told you that we'd make it through this! You just need to be patient!"

Davis turned around, furious, "How patient can I get?! It's easy for you, as you're the 'Digidestined of Hope' who knows everything's gonna be OK and that all is gonna be well! Well, you know what? You might be too blind to see but we're stuck in a real sticky situation!"

This made TK twitch. He retaliated, but this time with a more softer tone, "Gee Davis, you just made me lose my patience …"

"You're finally seeing the light, TK!" Davis yelled.

Kari's eyes flickered between the two, who both looked enraged. They were staring at each other as if they'd pound each other any minute. She had a feeling this conversation was taking a wrong turn, and might reach a dead end.

"Stop it, you two!" Ken shouted. "The pair of you are acting like five-year-olds!"

Davis glared at TK, "Someone here does not know when to give in!"

"Yeah, well at least it's better than giving up!" TK retorted.

"This is bad …" Yolei muttered, getting to her feet.

"If you guys can't cooperate with me, what's the point of me being the team leader?!" Davis shouted out at the rest of them. His eyes rested on Kari's for a second longer before he looked back at TK.

"It's cause' when the leader's acting like a baby, there's no point in cooperating!" TK said.

"What's happening?" Veemon mumbled, sitting up. It looked like he had just woken up from the noise of the heated discussion. "Davis? TK?"

"What do you mean by that, TG?" Davis asked with a scowl on his face.

TK blew it, "That's it! When you took Kari away hostage when you were that 'thing' then who had to come along to try and save you? We did! And how about the time when you lost control? Who snapped you out of it? Us!"

"I've always appreciated you! All of you!" Davis yelled, his forehead prickling. "It's you guys who never even tried to see what good I had in the team!"

"Guys! Quit fighting!" Patamon cried, flying in front of TK. "We can't start a fight! How are we going to get ourselves out of this mess if we do?"

TK's expression softened for a moment as he looked at his partner. Then he took a deep breath.

"OK, you know what," Davis spat. "I see I'm no use here anymore, so how about this? You guys go your way, and I go my way? That alright with you?"

He turned around to go when Kari spoke up, "Please Davis! Don't!"

Davis's look changed from furious to regret. He closed his eyes as he thought of her tear-strained face. _Kari … _But he managed to wave off the feeling and walked on. "Come on Veemon. Let's go."

The little Digimon looked at the teenager's retreating back. "Yeah, but Davis -"

"I said, let's go!"

Veemon scurried to his feet and ran after Davis, before giving one look of distress to the Digidestined behind them.

"Davis! Stop!" Kari shouted, tears running down her cheeks. "Please!!"

TK held out a hand to stop her, "No Kari …"

"TK, stop him! He doesn't know what he's thinking!"

"He knows perfectly well what he's thinking," TK said, opening his eyes to show rage for the withdrawing figure ahead of them.

Kari sank to her knees, sobbing. This all happened so quickly, she was confused. What had gone into those two?

Back ahead, Davis was thinking the same thing. He had reacted so instantly that it was confusing. But he knew he had made the right decision. A small voice at the back of his head told him not to leave his friends, but he snorted at the word 'friends'. He couldn't get Kari's mournful face out of his mind and it was seriously killing him. Why did he suddenly feel this way again? Why couldn't he just forget her, push her towards TK?

"Davis? What are you doing?" Veemon asked, looking up. "Those are your friends you're leaving back there!"

"Friends?" Davis stopped for a moment before stepping forward. "I used to think the same thing, Veemon!"

"What …?" Veemon couldn't fathom what had gone into Davis. He wouldn't do this to his friends, would he?

_.Older Digidestined._

"Ouch, my head …" Matt grunted, rubbing his aching head.

He was lying on what seemed to be patchy earth, and near him lay Gabumon who seemed to be comatose. Feeling dreary, he also felt a sharp pain in his side.

"Oh man …" he reached out to push away whatever it was but felt something soft. Puzzled, Matt turned to see Sora who seemed to be lying on him. He flushed the darkest colors of red when he saw that he was feeling her collar … which was right near –

"Matt …" Sora said, eyes still closed. "I may seem to be asleep, but I can feel what you're doing. And if you can be so kind to stop doing what it is you're doing?"

"Oh!" Matt gasped and withdrew his hand as if he was burned by her. "Y-yeah, sure!"  
Sora got off of him and Matt managed to stand up, still blushing. He stopped though when he realized the place they were in.

"So you're finally awake?" Izzy asked, typing away on his laptop. "Great, I was getting tired waiting for you guys."

"Izzy," Matt said. "Why is it that even in the most terrible of situations, you're always on that thing?"

Sora nodded, "Yeah. And why didn't you wake us up?!"

"Well, it was actually kind of humorous watching you guys … the position you were in. I knew something funny was going to happen, and it sure did, right Matt?"

Sora blushed and Matt turned as red as a tomato. "Izzy … you be careful."

Izzy chuckled, but immediately turned serious as he turned back to his laptop, "Before you two ask why Tai, Mimi and Joe aren't here. Let me explain. It seems the vortex has split us up separately into different parts of the Other Reign … I've just received a message from Joe that he, Tai and Mimi are fine and that we should continue."

"Right …" Matt said, nodding. "Cause' I wanna tell Tai his stupid plan didn't work! It's a bad thing we're separated!"

"Yeah, but it's also good. We can explore further into this mystery separately. And we won't exactly be alone …" Izzy told him.

"OK …" Sora murmured. She frowned and asked, "So when do we set off?"

Izzy stood up, shutting his laptop, this action easily indicating they were to set off as soon as possible. "Now, from now we start."

Matt nodded, "Yeah … isn't the world a small place?"

"Tell me about it," Izzy said. "We find ourselves separated just like when we were eleven. Funny, right?"

"Uh-huh," Sora sighed. "Let's just go already. This weather is really making me feel discouraged."

"Gotcha," Matt nodded his head towards the south direction. "Let's got his way …"

"Whatever you say, Matt."

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Author's Note: I didn't know from where I got the idea of TK and Davis's argument, but I just did. Anyways, hope you enjoyed it and please review!

Cheerio!!


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon blah blah blah blah blah…

Author's Note: Sorry for taking so long to update. Was pretty busy the past few days and besides, the connection to the internet was terminated. Anyways, hope this chapter's good enough for ya! Enjoy!

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Chapter Twelve

Kaze the Initiator

"Davis!"

Veemon nearly tripped as he tried following his partner's hasty steps. He was still confused over what had happened. He knew Davis didn't give up that easily, and also knew he wouldn't just ditch his friends like that.

"Davis, please slow down!" Veemon shouted. It was amazing how Davis was able to move, considering his severe injuries from Apocalymon's attacks.

He nearly ran into Davis's legs as he the brunette stopped suddenly. Rubbing his head, Veemon looked up at him, "Please Davis, tell me what happened! You wouldn't just give up like that! It's ridiculous!"

Davis drew in a shaky breath, letting it loose the same way. The air lingered with stress, and even though Davis knew he was a long way away from the others, he also knew he couldn't go back.

"I … I …" Davis began, his voice low, uneasy. "I didn't know what came over me …"

"C'mon Davis," Veemon said. "You don't give up. And why were you so mad with TK?"

Davis closed his eyes, "He was putting a lot of demands onto me, Veemon. 'Everything will be OK' and all of that … it's not like I had to force to choose that everything was gonna be OK."

"Davis, you've been though this before. Why have you gone so low as to lose your friends' trust?"

Davis didn't answer that. He silently cursed, drawing in yet another shaky breath. He had felt completely bleak when he shouted at TK. It was as if something had taken over his mind, yet he wanted it to and he was completely aware of everything.

"So maybe we should go back -" Veemon began but stopped as Davis shot him a look.

"We are not going back!" Davis said. His expression softened at the look on his partner's face, and he added, "Not till we find some clues …"

"What do mean by that?"

"I mean we're gonna keep fighting …" Davis sighed for the third time. "And then maybe, just maybe, we'll run into the others …"

Veemon smiled. That was more like it. But another part of him was still perplexed as to why Davis acted like that.

Davis himself was confused. He didn't know what had gone into him, but he felt it was, in some way, the right thing. A loud crash from nearby snapped him out of his thoughts and he turned his head towards the source.

"W-what was that?" Veemon stuttered, his eyes wider than usual.

Davis narrowed his eyes and slowly walked towards the direction the crash had come from, his chest pounding. His ribs started to hurt as he edged nearer and nearer, Veemon a step behind him. He could make out a figure on the ground, too small to be human and too big to be scrawny. The fog was blocking its features but Davis gave a loud shout when he noticed its green antennas and many legs.

"Wormmon!" he cried. Veemon ran forward and Davis followed, his angst increasing when he saw the Digimon nearly lifeless.

"Oh man … Ken is not going to be happy," he said as he picked him up. He had held him before, but he seemed to have lost a lot of pounds. Wormmon groaned a little before falling back asleep.

"What do we do, Davis?" Veemon asked as Davis covered the larva-type with his school jacket.

"We'll have to keep him with us," Davis replied. "But when he wakes up, we can ask him who did this to him. And where he'd been."

"Good thing his condition's not that bad," Veemon said.

Davis stood up on his feet, squinting through the fog, "But we'd never know. Let's just keep going, pal …"

Veemon nodded and just as he stepped forward to follow the Bearer of Miracles, another crash, louder this time, occurred from the distance.

"What now?" Davis said.

"I just wish these crashes could stop already!" Veemon cried, half-exasperated, half-afraid.

Davis gestured with a nod of his head, "Let's go, Veemon!"

"Right behind you …"

Kari was curiously quiet. Not that TK should be worried. Everyone was quiet since Davis's departure, but the entire area around her was filled with a hassled tone. It seemed the light that was usually emitted from her was weakened. She was sitting next to TK, looking down at her hands which were placed on her lap. A solitary tear silently ran down her right cheek and TK felt an urge to wipe it away. Which he did.

"Kari," he said, watching her tense up. "Please stop crying … it's all you've been doing since -"

He didn't finish his sentence. He couldn't bring himself to say Davis's name, and he felt uncomfortable as he drifted off into silence.

"I'm sorry TK …" Kari finally said. Her voice was cracked with lack of use. "I just c-can't help it."

TK sighed, looking sideways at Kari. He smiled, "Hey, I know you're upset, but -"

"What could you possibly know?" Kari snapped suddenly. TK blinked in surprise, and she felt ashamed. "I-I'm sorry TK, I didn't mean to shout …"

"It's alright …" TK placed a comforting arm over her shoulder.

"I just can't believe he'd … give up like that," Kari sniffed, trying to hold back more tears. "He's the one who's always t-told us to … n-never give up."

"Yeah, I'm surprised he doesn't have the Crest of Hope himself," TK tried to joke, but failed. He felt lame. Turning solemn as he eyed Kari, he said, "Kari, I promise. He will come back. Sooner or later, he will realize what he's done … he'll be back."

Kari inhaled deeply and let it out, feeling childish but nonetheless whispering, "Promise?"

"I promise," TK said. "He will be back."

A question came to his mind and he asked it without thinking twice, "You like him, don't you."

It was more of a statement then an actual question, but he was content with what he did when he saw a hue of pink over Kari's cheeks. She squirmed away from his hold around her shoulders and frowned, "What?"

"You like him …" TK repeated, trying his hardest not to smile and give it away.

Kari couldn't understand the fluttery feeling she suddenly felt, nor could she stop it. Her stomach turned over slightly and she was closely aware of the other's listening in on their … conversation. She looked down, positively sure everyone could hear her heart beating.

TK sighed, satisfied with what he saw and leaned in closely, whispering, "That's exactly what I mean …"

Kari gave a small gasp. She raised a hand to her chest, keeping it over her heart. TK turned to his other side, pretending to be busy with his shoelace. _They're both the same when it comes to this …_

He felt guilty whenever his mind wandered back to his fight with Davis. They were such good friends, but at that moment he had had enough. Davis was different. He didn't seem like himself. "Guys, I think we should start moving on," TK announced, getting up. "The quicker we find a way outta this, the better it'll be."

"Right," Cody nodded.

TK saw Kari had gone silent again, but it wasn't the same as before. Taking in the blush on her cheeks, it was a lot different.

"TK …" Patamon gave him a small smile. "What exactly did you tell her?"

"I told her what she needed to know," TK replied.

His hair was now dancing in the breeze that had mysteriously appeared. Finding this strange, TK looked round at the others who had the same confused look on their faces. In mere seconds, the breeze that was quite peaceful turned into a ferocious gust of wind.

"What is this!?" Yolei cried, trying to keep her skirt down from flying upwards. Kari was experiencing the same difficulty and TK would have laughed if the situation wasn't so serious. Before they could do something, darkness swallowed them completely and the next second, intense illumination shone at them. TK kept his eyes shut tightly, the damages he received from Apocalymon seeming to burn.

"TK!" Patamon cried, and TK's eyes flew open. What he saw in front of him made his shout out loud.

There stood a figure, fully clad in a black cloak that reached his ankles. The only details they saw of him were a twine of dark-blonde hair that slipped out from beneath the hood. But the energy he held seemed emitted from within him. He seemed even more intimidating than Cyrius and Rita … He smirked when he saw their startled faces, and walked forward.

"Digidestined …" he spoke in his deep, yawning voice. He looked upwards and they saw a tint of scarlet inside of the hood. TK felt his heart beat speed up and he swallowed hard as the figure looked back at them.

"I am Kaze … creator of this realm," he said. He gaze fell back on them, and he continued, "I've been wanting to meet you all for some time now …"

"What do you mean?" TK blurted out, his eyes narrowed. Uncertainty replaced his fear, although there was still that air of tension around him.

"Why don't we talk somewhere less quieter … more darker, perhaps?" Kaze said, and his hands rose to the black sky. TK felt that same rush of wind overcome him and suddenly, the ground slid from under his feet, engulfing him in darkness once again.

"W-what was that?!"

Davis stared at a position a distant away from them, surprised at the sudden beam that shone throughout the land. Veemon had also stopped walking and the two of them were standing, immobilized on the spot. Wormmon twitched a little in Davis's arms but fell back to sleep again.

Veemon gasped and he looked up at his partner, "Davis! Isn't that the place where you left the others?"

His heart skipped a beat as Davis realized the Digimon was right. His mind grew numb and he watched as the light began to flicker. It went off as fast as it had appeared, and then Davis came to his senses. Forgetting all about the crash that had occurred minutes ago, he began running towards the source where the light had come from.

"Davis, wait!" Veemon called after him. "Davis – you've gotta see this!"

Skidding to a halt, Davis turned around and he almost fell over as he saw what he expected least to see.

"M-Matt? Izzy!?" Davis frowned. "W-what are you guys doing here?!"

"Davis!" Sora ran forward, worry etched on her face. "Are you alright!?"

"Good thing we found you …" Matt said, reaching him as well. He placed a hand on his shoulder, "Are you OK?"

Considering his wounds, it didn't look at all like he was fine. Sora was staring at him with her mouth open in a silent scream and Matt, although trying to control himself, looked dismayed at the blood strains.

"I – I'm fine!" Davis turned around, his eyes searching for the spot.  
His breath shallow, he croaked. "But the others – I've gotta go after them!"

"Wait a damn minute -" Matt grabbed the cuff of his collar and pulled him forward. Hoisting him up high, he said, "What do you mean by that? What happened to the others?!"

Davis hissed, shutting his eyes tight eyes. His back ached in pain as his shirt rubbed against his wounds. Sora frowned, "Matt – let him down! It's not his fault! Besides, he's already as hurt as it is!"

Matt, his azure eyes wide, groaned in anguish and nodded. When his feet touched the floor, Davis felt a pang of guilt hit him like a heavy brick. Matt was worried for TK and if something happened to them, it would be all his fault. Sighing, Davis decided to tell them what had happened. About how he lost his mind and fought against TK, who was right. Like always.

Izzy frowned, "So what you're saying is that you saw a bright flash of light coming from the place where you left the others?"

"Something like that, yeah …" Davis looked down. He didn't want to look at Matt; he had hurt too many people already. To his surprise, he didn't feel a fist come in contact with his face or anything like that. Looking up, he saw Matt staring back with an almost repentant expression on his face.

"Matt …" Davis said. "I'm so sorry … I – I wasn't there for them …"

Sora bit her lip, "It's alright Davis … we understand how you felt."

"I … I didn't know what came over me …" Davis closed his eyes, feeling tears starting to form. His brain yelled at him furiously as images of Kari's tearful face and Ken's injured form appeared. Bowing his head, Davis let them fall.

"Davis …" Veemon murmured, falling to his side.

Matt looked in surprise and distress at the fallen leader. Now that he felt less livid, he noticed just the state Davis was in. His usually spiky hair was matted down, making him look more mature. His uniform was ripped in several places and there were bloodstains blotched on his dirty shirt. If anything, the kid reminded Matt of Tai …

"Davis," he said when he found his voice. "Straighten yourself."

"Huh …" Davis looked up, his glossy chocolate-brown eyes showing misunderstanding.

"Get up," Matt leaned down and helped him to his feet. Davis stood there, unsteady, looking at Matt in disbelief. "We'll find them. Nothing will happen to them." Matt said.

Davis felt more ashamed than ever. He had given himself up more than once and he had to be told to never give up. If he were to compare himself with the boy he once was, he'd think they both lived on different planets. Why had he become so weak? So frail?

Matt looked on as a familiar fire flickered on in Davis's eyes. He smiled slightly, knowing he had done the right thing. "So … are you ready?"

Davis nodded, his usually goofy smile plastered to his face. Veemon grinned up at him, "We've got our boy back!"

"That's for sure, Veemon," Izzy said. "Now I can send a message to Tai. The thing is, I'm not sure I wanna break the news of Kari to him."

"I will," Davis spoke up, unexpectedly. Everyone looked at him, surprised ay his outburst. Davis shrugged, "This is the first practice I can do. Besides, to get my strength back, I have to do get done with stuff like this."

Izzy handed his laptop wordlessly, and watched as Davis started typing the note. Sora blinked, "Er … what just happened?"

Matt smiled and put a arm around her shoulders, "Trust me Sora, whatever happened, happened for the best." Sora nodded, perplexed at the sudden change. Davis shut the laptop closed, message sent, and beamed resolutely, "Let's go!"

"Alright!" Matt grinned. He waved his hand out, "After you!"

"Is the gate ready?"

Rita nodded hurriedly, her arms twitching as she poured dark energy out onto the horizon. "Nearly. Just mere minutes left, Master!"

"Good," Kaze frowned, hearing shouts behind him. "I'll take care of these Digidestined …"

"Right."

Kaze turned around, his cloak swishing around his ankles. He walked towards the Digidestined, who become quiet immediately. All except one. The Digidestined of Hope. His eyes slowly turning to slits, Kaze nodded silently. This one was a hard nut to crack. TK trashed around, his arms chained tightly to shackles and chains that were hung on the wall. "Let us go!" he roared.

"Don't worry, don't worry …" Kaze said, in satirical assurance. "You'll be out before you know it … but before I act, why don't I share with you my plan of … devastation."

"We already know!" another voice blurted out. "You want to destroy the Digital Portal! And open the two seals!"

Kaze's eyes landed on a cobalt-haired teenager. He smiled, "Ah, Ken Ichijoji … I've heard so much about you. In fact, I really should not be surprised of your sudden outbreak."

Ken glared at him, "Just what are you planning to do with the Dark Ocean anyway?"

"Yeah, and what have you done with all the other Digimon?" Cody asked. "We haven't seen one besides our Digimon since we've been here!"

"The Digimon are safe," Kaze said. "In the original Digital World. All of you are inside of my creation, the Shadow World. Replicate of the Digiworld, yet not so alike as you must already know … once I break the seals, all your Digimon friends and companions will be in my control. I'll send them out to the Real World, causing destruction. Destroying the human race in the process …"

"You're disgraceful!" this time, it was Kari who had spoken.

Kaze's smile widened and he walked slowly towards her, "Ah … the Digidestined of Light … yes, yes … now I see why those lovely Scubamon want you so bad."

Kari shivered hard, turning pale at the name of those things. TK flinched angrily, "Get away from her!"

"One my Millennium has been reborn …" Kaze said. "I'll definitely eradicate you all. Leaving one Queen of the Dark Ocean behind …"

"You won't lay a finger on her!" Gatomon hissed from where she was locked behind bars.

Kaze ignored her completely and continued, "Scubamon will be allowed into the Digital World and the Real World both … those two places; the Dark Ocean included will become one. My era of the Millennium will have begun."

"But I see we're missing one person … without him, this plan will not take place," Kaze said. "The Digidestined of Miracles … I'll seek him out, no worry."

_I guess it was a good thing Davis left us then … _TK thought, his expression softening a little. He looked back at Kaze, "Then … who're these two you got with you?"

"Oh …" Kaze smiled. "I made them my minions when I visited the Real World a few years ago. I gave them a share of my power, making them powerful enough to destroy, but not too powerful as to betray me … We stayed in hiding till the time was right. And now, the moment will come … what I've been waiting for will happen."

"NO!" TK yelled. "We will stop you!"

"It's a shame I'll have to do away with you. You could be handy, but then again, you will also be troublesome … just like that foolish worm Digimon …"

"Wormmon!" Ken shouted, furiously. "What the heck did you do with him?"

Kaze immediately became still, his head bent. TK stared, eyebrows raised to resolve on what he was doing. Kaze nodded, his eyes closed, "I see he wants to come and save you all … he's got three others with him. I could give him a little help."

"What's he talking about?" Yolei asked in a hushed voice. "Does he mean Davis?"

"From the way he's talking … I think he does," Ken replied. He dreaded the fact at what would happen if Davis and Kaze were to meet. If he knew Davis like he thought he did, then Davis might prevail over him, not even thinking of giving up. But after what he saw, he didn't think it was going to be that simple.

"I think I will assist him …" Kaze raised both arms and the familiar wave of airstream overcame them.

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Author's Note: OK people. That's all for now. Hopefully more stuff will be explained in the next chapter. I'm trying to get done with most of the story till tomorrow. I didn't expect Davis to end up crying (What?! When?! How?!) but it turned out pretty well by me. Oh, and if you're wondering what tomorrow is: FIRST DAY OF THE SECOND TERM!!! (WHY?!)

Please review and don't give up on me!

Cheerio!


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own Digimon … just the story! You can't sue me.

Author's Note: I am so sorry for taking so long with updating. It's been pretty hectic for me … but anyway, thanks for your reviews! And your patience! Boy, am I pumped up now! That's a pretty good thing ... this chapter might be worth the wait. I kinda forgot about the Digimon when I made the scene between Matt, Sora, Davis and Izzy so, er … well; just say they hung back during the whole occurrence.

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Chapter Thirteen

Davis Impaired

"Guys …" Izzy was saying slowly, as though responding to a question on a paper. "Don't you feel something strange going on?"

Davis glanced at him. Izzy had a tense look on his face and his red hair was soaring backwards in the breeze that had just brewed up.

"Yeah we do, Izzy," Matt said dryly, looking back. "We've known since we ended up stuck in this place and … and well, right now, things aren't getting any better!"

"No, I mean, this airstream," said Izzy. "Isn't it weird that it just appeared?" Matt looked at Davis, who hurriedly nodded and said, "Izzy's right! This is exactly what we felt before we arrived here!"

"'You' meaning, you and the others, right?" Sora asked. The rest of the Digimon stopped walking and began listening intently to the conversation.

Davis nodded, "Yeah … this might be hazardous!"

"Alright then," Matt took out his Digivice and nodded to Gabumon. "Time to Digivolve, I think."

Gabumon nodded and in mere minutes, the grand wolf-type was standing over them, his fur flying in the wind. Matt smiled and looked at Sora, "Alright, I think we need Birdramon as well, Sora."

"Biyomon digivolve to … Birdramon!" The giant bird-like Digimon appeared as well, her wings gleaming despite the darkness that had swallowed them. Sora climbed onto her and helped Izzy on.

"Hop on, Davis," Matt ordered, breaking the younger man's train of thought. "We're gonna try and outrun this twister!"

Davis frowned; not sure if whatever he was doing would work, but nonetheless hoisted himself onto Garurumon. He was holding Wormmon in his arms. The little Digimon had managed to gain consciousness but was still hurt. Veemon sat behind Davis, his arms tightly strapped around his partner's waist. Matt looked down at Garurumon, "Alright now, let's get going!"

Taking off at a starting speed, Garurumon leaped through the dry plains. Davis felt a sudden rush of wind that had absolutely nothing to do with how fast they were going. He looked sideways to see Birdramon sweeping through the air at graduate speed, Sora and Izzy seated on her. Izzy had both his arms full, holding equally his laptop and Tentomon. He was also having a hard time hanging on, but was amazingly managing.

"Hey Matt," Davis said, squinting through the blustery weather. "Is it me, or are we losing the race?"

"What do you -" Matt stopped short as he realized Davis was right. The current in the air had multiplied double, and he could feel Garurumon slowing down. Birdramon was straining to stay in the air, squawking every now and then.

"Oh man …" Matt breathed, trying to stay calm. He looked back at Davis, "Hey, can't Veemon digivolve?"

"I already told you, he can't," Davis said. "He's not capable for some reason."

"Great, this is just another addition to our problems," Matt murmured, tightening his grip around Garurumon. The Digimon growled deeply, "Matt! I'm not sure I can take this anymore!"

"My backside's all sore!" Veemon wailed, his eyes shut tight. "I can't take this either!"

"Just hang in there, pal!" Davis cried. His eyes flashed fiercely as he thought of his friends, "We can do this!"

Garurumon gave a yelp as he felt himself rise a little and Matt gasped when he felt them taking altitude. The wind was getting harsher and Garurumon was having a hard time controlling his traction. Davis swallowed hard, "This isn't good!"

His attention was drawn to his right where Birdramon was swaying in the storm helplessly. Both Sora and Izzy were holding on for their lives and Tentomon was doing no better. Davis felt that familiar drawing presence of darkness overcome him and them he felt totally numb, as if he was standing in a blizzard with no safety. And suddenly, as soon as it happened, the sentiment unconstrained him completely.

X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x x X x X x X x X x X

Davis realized he was lying on his back on what appeared to be a stone floor. Very cold. Pleading with his aching bones, Davis managed to sit up and accustom himself to his surroundings. His ribs screamed at him and he winced terribly, but with great effort, he stood up on his feet as well, though not steadily. He almost fell back down when he saw Matt on the ground unconscious. Sora lay next to him, her arm curved in an awkward angle and her auburn hair sprawled across her pretty face and Izzy was lying farther away from the three of them. Their Digimon were slouching in a bunch, one on the other, then same thing all Digidestined did whenever they entered the Digiworld. Davis's smile faded when he thought of his friends. Whom he had abandoned. Thinking he should wake the others up first, he turned to the blonde.

"Matt?" he called groggily. "Get up!"

The Digidestined of Friendship still lay there, unmoving. Davis swore quietly and decided to search the surrounding they were in. He felt as if time was playing with him and he didn't like it at all.

"You don't have to investigate, you know," a deep voice startled him, making him jump. "I can tell you all you need to know …"

Davis turned around, an odd chill striking him. His eyes turned wide at the sight of a hooded figure. Although it wasn't visible, Davis could tell he was smirking. For some reason, he thought he had seen this man before. The figure walked a few steps forward before Davis held out his hand in an impeding gesticulation.

"Wait!" he said, his voice unnaturally shrill. "Who-who are you?"

"Not scared, are you Davis?" the man's smile widened.

"I am not scared of you!" Davis yelled, surprised at the sudden valor in his voice. "Who are you? And how do you know my name?"

"Just call me Kaze," the man replied casually. "And if you're wondering why you've been suddenly brought here, I will tell you … oh, and you're popular here in the Digiworld, so it's not hard to forget you heroes…"

"Why am I the only one up?" Davis asked, waving a hand to his friends on the floor.

Kaze raised a brow, "You must have an extraordinary amount of willpower to get up … especially after such an assault like that."

Davis frowned, "So _you_ were the one who send that storm out on us!"

"Very well done. Good to see you are catching on quickly," Kaze said.

"So then …" Davis stepped forward this time, but with more gallantry. "You must know where my friends are!"

"Yes, you are smart … but you might not use your intelligence at times, I think," said Kaze with lust. "You're friends are all safe and sound …

Davis narrowed his eyes. Somehow, he just knew he couldn't trust this guy. There was too much mystery in the air enduring over him. And he also had a feeling that he had a big role in all of this. If he had Kari, Ken and the others, then it was bad.

"Trust me in this," Kaze spoke up, startling Davis. "I can get you back to the Real World and I will ensure everything turns out alright. I just need your help."

_How do I know I can trust him? _Davis thought, examining the man in front of him. _He's just got too much immorality around him to be good …_

"Well then, you have a lot of time to think about your answer," Kaze turned around, his head inched towards the side. "For now … I think we need to have a little discussion."

" … Discussion?" Davis raised his eyebrows. "On what?"

"The reason I need your help, of course." Kaze walked onwards, his cloak flying behind him. "Follow me."

Davis hesitated but proceeded to follow the retreating figure all the same. Along the way, he noticed how primeval the place was. It looked very ancient, and he was sure it probably was. He remained cautious as he came to a stop behind Kaze, who was now beginning to make him more suspicious.

"So … what exactly is your plan?" Davis asked.

"I need you to use your powers in this plan," Kaze said, turning to him. "I need you to open the gate that leads to the Dark Ocean and the Real World."

"What?" Davis cried. "But we sealed the gate to the Dark Ocean years ago. And if we open it, who knows what'll happen!"

"Davis … just listen to me," Kaze said. "Your friend, Kari will be safe and sound … you'll just have to make a few sacrifices for all this to work out, you know …"

"What do you mean by 'sacrifices'?" Davis asked.

Kaze cleared his throat, "Oh … your friend, Ken will have to go."

He watched Davis's face, which was bowed to the ground. His bangs were covering his features so Kaze couldn't exactly see what he was thinking. At last, Davis looked up, a sinister kind of fire lit in his eyes making them more baleful. "No …"

"Hm?" Kaze was hoping he had heard wrong. "What did you say?"

"I said, No …" Davis repeated. His hand curled into a fist, "I'm sorry. You can take me, but not any of my friends …"

Kaze felt his control slipping away but managed a cool façade, "Oh … I see … but this plan will not work without Ken. I can use that Child of Light but you won't like that either."

Davis frowned, "Whatever your plan is, I'm not going along with it. Because I know what's gonna happen if that gate is open, and no offense, but you're not exactly the type to trust, you know."

He felt like his younger self at that moment, taking the side of what his instincts told him. But Kaze wasn't about to give up that easily.

"Have you seen the darkness that covers this land?" Kaze asked, lifting his head so his crimson-red eyes flashed even more than usual. Davis stayed silent, so Kaze continued. "Why do you think it's here? It's clearly came from the Dark Ocean, and you think that the gate can hold all of that back? Using the gate for a greater purpose than this will make the Digiworld a better place …"

"The Digiworld was perfectly fine before all this happened!" Davis said. "And I've got a feeling this did happen when you and those other assailant Digimon appeared."

Kaze narrowed his eyes. He had heard about Davis's extraordinary strength but never did he know that the boy was this stubborn. And he seemed to know exactly what Kaze was up to. He couldn't use him anymore, but he could get rid of him.

"Very well, then …" Kaze said. "I'll try one more thing, to make this all … go my way …"

Davis caught the man smile furtively before he was thrown backwards. He landed on his back painfully, adding more stings to the wounds he already had gotten. He breathed in scarcely and opened an eye to see Kaze standing over him with a hand positioned towards the floor at him. Davis's eyes widened as he saw a ball of fire appear between his fingers and he gritted his teeth, summoning energy to call out one name.

"VEEMOONN!"

X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x x X x X x X x X x X

Kari gasped loudly, drawing the others' attention towards her. Her eyes flickered slightly and her face had gone pale. This made TK worry.

"Kari … Kari, what's wrong?" he asked, distressed.

"Didn't you hear that … yell?" Kari asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "I heard someone shouting … and – and it … sounded like Davis …"

"Davis?" Ken frowned. "How can he be here?"

TK shrugged, "I don't know … Kari, maybe it's just your imagination -"

"No!" Kari's shout startled them all. "No, I'm right! Davis is here!"

"Kari …" TK's eyes trained on his friend's expression. Streaks of her hair fell down her face and her eyes were burning with hope. Something he didn't have at that moment. "Kari … how … how can you be so sure?"

"TK, I know it …" Kari said. "He is here … I think he came back for us …"

X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x x X x X x X x X x X

"You're only going to get in the way, I can see that …" Kaze said, advancing towards Davis who was now sprawled on the floor with his back against the wall. Blood was dripping down his face and his previously white school shirt was now dyed in an interesting shade of scarlet. Kaze was sure he had done his work well, but one thing bothered him. The boy had one eye still opened and was glaring at him, even through all that corporal punishment he had received.

"You're pressing your luck …" Kaze took out an object from within his robes and held it in his hands. It was a circular shaped device with a few wires descend down to the ground. It blinked a few times and Kaze kneeled down in front of the injured Digidestined. "Maybe this will make you think what you've done, although I doubt you'll be able to do even that …"

He pushed the object into Davis's abdomen and held it there for a moment. The wires that were dropping down suddenly rose and dug themselves deep into the boy's stomach, making him cry out stridently in sheer pain. Kaze couldn't help smiling at the helplessness shown unmistakably on his face. "Slow and effective … just the way I like it …"

A minute later, Davis slid down the wall and onto the ground. The device still clung onto his stomach. Kaze stood up, making sure Davis heard him well and clear before he fell lifeless. "Just be sure that if you ever try escaping or anything of the sort, this thing won't go easy on you."

Davis held his senses up for a fraction of a second before giving into the darkness that was pulling him in. This time it was different.

X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x x X x X x X x X x X

"My heels are killing me …" Mimi groaned as she trudged through the desert-like area with Tai and Joe. She kept stopping every now and then to rub the soles of her shoes or to sit on the ground.

"Who on earth told you to wear shoes at such a circumstance like this?" Joe asked angrily.

Tai rolled his eyes, "At this rate, we won't get anywhere …"

"Right," Agumon agreed.

Mimi frowned, "Hey, it's not my fault I want to look good every day! It's just natural!"

"Natural?" Tai said. "It's aberrant! No one wants to look good every day! It's just you and your frilly girly ways!"

"Excuse me?" Mimi gasped. "What do you mean by my 'girly' ways?

"I mean that it's just … unmanly!" Tai said, glaring at her.

"Oh course its unmanly! You males don't know when to clean up, do you?" Mimi retorted.

Joe swallowed hard, "Er … guys?"

"We're every bit as clean as girls are!" Tai snapped, ignoring him.

Mimi let out mocking laughter and Tai blinked. She smiled, "Oh please, you're seriously cracking me up here!"

"Guys?" Joe tried again.

"Not now, Joe …" Tai said, then turned back to Mimi. "What exactly is your problem, eh?"

"You're my problem, Tai Kamiya!" Mimi shouted. "You just think of yourself all the time!"

Agumon, Gomamon and Palmon watched the little 'conversation' with interest. It was amusing them to see a sort of debate between the two.

"Look who's talking!" Tai snickered. "You're the one who has to spend about a gazillion Yen on who-knows-what's!"

"I use dollars, you dolt! Or maybe you haven't realized that I've been living in America!"

As Tai was about to shout back another reply, Joe shouted at the top of his lungs, "GUYS!?"

"WHAT?!" Tai and Mimi turned to Joe, their expressions furious. He swallowed hard and pointed ahead of them. They looked towards what he was signaling at and both gasped in unison. Ahead of them hung a shadowy tower, its many floors pointing straight up towards the gray clouds.

"Wha- What's that?" Mimi whimpered, breaking the silence that had pasted a few minutes.

Tai smiled, "Whatever it is, I've got a feeling Kari and the others are here … let's go!"

He walked on ahead swiftly. He stopped seconds later to realize the others hadn't moved yet. The two of them had an air of fright hovering around them. Tai frowned, "Come on, guys!"

"I-In there?" Joe stammered. He tried regaining his composure, "But … well, can't we wait a while before we do?"

Tai's eyes twinkled briefly and he beamed, "Great idea, Joe! A surprise attack! That'll get them off their guard with protecting the others or something!"

"Hey, that is a good idea …" Mimi said, slowly. Tai arched an eyebrow at her sudden mood change. But as long as it meant that they were finally onto something, he didn't care if she had to stop multiple times because of her shoes.

X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x x X x X x X x X x X

Davis awoke to something pressing into his stomach. He tried lifting his head but he screamed loudly as he felt it throb violently. His head seemed it weighed more than his body. He bit his lip as the pain increased twofold and tasted blood.

"Damn …" he breathed, trying to keep his eyes open. _What the hell did that guy do to me?_

Giving in, he closed his eyes, "Get up … D-Davis!"

He couldn't believe it was so hard just to speak. He was hurt too much to even think straight. Not only that, but when he rested his hand onto his front, he felt something metallic. He felt pretty useless, lying there bleeding feverishly. Although it cost him greatly, he was glad he hadn't agreed with the offer Kaze had given him. Better him than Ken or the others to get beaten up. He now wished he had enough strength to at least sit up and take a good look around him. Feeling extremely futile, he felt himself drifting off to sleep.

X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x x X x X x X x X x X

"C'mon guys! It's this way!"

It had been a while since Matt and the others woke up in a murky room. Or rather, they were woken up by a hysterical Veemon who was blabbering something about Davis. And now, they were running after the blue Digimon trying to figure out where he was taking them.

"Veemon!" Matt shouted. "How are you sure that Davis is in trouble?"

He was holding Wormmon who still wasn't in good health, so it took effort for him to run efficiently. Next to him, Sora spoke up, "He wasn't there when we woke up, so Veemon could be right!"

After following Veemon from one room and another, they finally entered a dungeon-like area which held the same feeling of insecurity as the rest of the place did. Matt studied the place with dangerous curiosity but soon snapped out of it as Veemon scuttled towards a large platform that stood a few feet away from where they were. Matt followed him and he swore at the sight before him, although a feeling of relief and fear together washed through him as well.

"TK!" he shouted and he jumped onto the platform after handing Wormmon to Sora. He stared in deep repent at his brother, who was chained to the wall with shackles, and looking beaten out of his wit. He walked slowly towards him. "TK …"

The younger blonde stirred softly and his azure-blue eyes gradually opened, looking glossy in the dim light. "Matt …" A smile traced his features, making him look a tad better. "Y-You're here?"

"I am, I'm here now!" Matt said, giving him a reassuring smile. He turned around to look at Sora and Izzy, "Help me unchain these guys!"

And soon, the three of them including the Digimon were set to work on freeing the hostage Digidestined. As Sora approached Kari to unlock her, the brunette spoke up, "W-where's Tai?"

Sora kept hesitant before replying, "He's on his way, Kari. Don't worry."

Kari nodded boldly and before long, she was on her feet as well, rubbing at the marks the shackles had made on her wrists. She noticed Veemon staying unusually quiet while the others were lost in supporting conversations. Ken and Wormmon were engaged in a tearful salutation after seeing each other again after so long.

When everyone was finally freed of, TK asked the one question each of them was timid in asking. "Did you guys bump into Davis?"

Matt exchanged a brief look with Sora before turning back to his brother and the others. "He … well … we did bump into him. But, when we arrived at this place, we kind of lost him …"

"Oh," TK's face fell. He had hoped that Davis would be better off than they were. He felt even guiltier as he thought of the argument they had.

"We've gotta find him!" Veemon cried out, alarming them all. "He called my name! He wanted me there with him!"

Kari bit her lip, "I … I heard him as well …"

Before they could do anything, Veemon began to run towards the doorway of the room, determined to find his partner. "Veemon!" TK called. "Come back!"

Just then, a sudden rush of air overcame him and Veemon rapidly fell on his back. When he looked up, he saw that a man in a cloak was standing over him. A gloomy look completed his appearance and Veemon barely had time to scuttle to his feet when the man said, "I'm pleased you're all reunited."

"Kaze!" TK shouted.

"I'd love to have an introduction right about now," Kaze said and he lifted a hand. "But I think it can wait till others of your group join you."

He waited for a moment then released the energy to his finger tips and like magic, a gust of wind blew roughly against the Digidestined, making them lose balance. Within a minute, Tai, Mimi and Joe sat clustered together before Kaze, all looking shocked. _I could've sworn we were just planning an attack … _Tai thought.

"Tai!" Kari cried, diverting Tai's attention towards them. He grinned as he saw his little sister at seeing her after months.

"Kari!"

Kaze smiled, "This is charming …"

"Who are you?" Tai snapped, looking up at him in displeasure. "And what do you want with us?"

"You'll find out soon enough," Kaze said. From behind him stepped out Rita and Cyrius. Even together they didn't look more horrendous than their master did. "But we'll want your help. To go along with us in our preparation …"

"What do you want our help for?" Matt asked, folding his arms. He narrowed his eyes. He knew that this guy was not to be trusted. It all seemed too shady.

"I need the help of your powers …" he stared at the confused looks that watched him. "Each of you has potent powers. Each strong in their own right."

Veemon glared at him, "How do you know that?"

Kaze's smirk seemed to widen as he set his eyes on the Rookie. "Aah … you're the Digimon partner of Davis, am I right?"

"You got that right!" Veemon snarled. "What have you done with Davis!?"

"He's been set to his rightful place. Let's just say he won't be bothering us anymore."

The atmosphere seemed to have changed as those words came out of Kaze's mouth. Kari's eyes widened in disbelief and Tai and Ken twitched wordlessly. The others stayed just as doubtful and the silence lingered till Veemon broke it.

"What did you do?!" he shouted and sprang to his feet. He ran at Kaze and prepared to launch himself at him.

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Author's Note: Everything's happening so fast …. …. Feeling … dizzy. _Anyways,_ I decided to add in the moment of truth. I guess it is what you guys were waiting for. And Davis … dead? I'm thinking otherwise

Please review! Cheerio!


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

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Chapter Fourteen

The Ultimate Battle

"Agumon!" Tai shouted, his eyes wide as he watched Veemon fling himself at Kaze. "Digivolve now!!"

"Agumon digivolve to … Greymon!" The Champion level Digimon appeared in an instant and ran towards the now skirmishing Veemon. But before he could reach him, he felt himself get suspended in midair.

"Hey, who the hell -" Tai stopped short in his sentence to stare at Rita, who had her arm held up high towards the levitating Greymon. She smiled spitefully at him. A moment later, Greymon was flying headfirst into a wall, tearing through it in the process.

"Greymon!" Tai shouted, watching in horror as his partner landed roughly on the debris. He was suddenly pushed out of the way by the Matt, who was glaring at Rita.

"So you like playing games, eh?" Matt growled, whipping out his Digivice. He pointed out at her, "Gabumon! Teach her a lesson!"

Rita's smile grew wider as she watched the wolf-type mutate into another more threatening version of itself: Garurumon. She held up her hands, which were now being enclosed by fire-blue energy. "Come on then … teach me."

Matt climbed onto Garurumon and the two took off after the woman. They were soon accompanied by TK and Angemon. Tai, meanwhile, had run to Greymon to see how he was doing.

"Kari, what's wrong?" Sora asked the younger girl. Mimi, who was standing next to her, turned to look at Kari as well. A solitary tear was running down Kari's cheek and she looked almost blank. Her bottom lip trembled slightly and more tears started spilling.

"Kari! Snap out of it!" Gatomon said, pulling at Kari's blood-stained skirt. "You've gotta pull yourself together!"

"H-He's gone …" Kari cried, croakily. She hugged herself and fell to her knees, where Gatomon cuddled into her comfortingly. In the midst of his fight with Rita, TK had noticed Kari's sudden outburst and on his way to consoling her, he was slammed back onto the ground by Cyrius.

"TK!" Cody shouted. He ran forward to try and help him when all of a sudden, Cyrius stepped in his way. The villain grinned.

"Let me guess … the youngest of the group?" Cyrius laughed mockingly, and engulfed his hands with the same energy Rita had enclosed into her own. "I'll go easy on you to make this fairer."

It took a long time for Cody to fight the dread that lingered inside of him, but he regained his composure just in time to avoid Cyrius's first upcoming attack. Armadillomon joined him in the clash and soon the two of them were narrowly evading Cyrius's shots.

Kaze on the other hand, was taking his time beating Veemon who looked like he wouldn't give up despite the state he was in. Kaze could've finished him off like that, but he wanted to enjoy the fun while it lasted.

"Vee Head butt!" Veemon shot towards Kaze, head first but unfortunately, Kaze repelled the attack with one of his own shock waves, sending Veemon flying backwards. The Rookie crashed into the crater already made by Greymon.

"Howling Blaster!" Garurumon roared and launched his attack onto Rita, who got barely hit by it. It didn't do much damage. Meanwhile, whenever Rita attacked Garurumon, Matt had a hard time holding onto his partner.

"Ha!" Rita cackled, "How hopeless is this? It's like you're not even trying!"

And she shot a flickering energy ball at them, creating a direct hit. Matt was blasted off of Garurumon landing painfully on his back. He sucked in his breath with difficulty and rolled onto his side.

Kaze had now turned his attention onto Ken, who was also showing similar loathing towards him. Ken's hands curled into fists and he glared up at the approaching figure. "What the hell did you do with Davis!?" he asked, a hint of panic in his voice.

"The same thing I'll do to every one of you Digidestined," Kaze replied, smiling wickedly. A glimmer of scarlet flashed underneath his hood which made Ken quiver slightly.

Kaze continued, "It was that very Digidestined I wanted to get rid of. The Digidestined of Miracles … hopefully now, my plans will continue with no interruption."

"Your plans?" Ken frowned. Wormmon, who was clutching onto his right leg, also kept silent, listening intently. The others seemed to take note of their talk and stopped fighting, turning to face Kaze.

"I am going to destroy all of you," Kaze said, noticing everyone had turned to him. "And when there are no meddlesome children around, I will make sure everything goes my way." His left hand rose to the side and a dark portal appeared. He smiled and his gaze fell on Kari, who was looking back frightened. "Starting with the Queen herself."

Kari's eyes widened as she found herself staring into the portal, right into the place that had haunted her in many of her nightmares and visualizations. "Oh no …"

X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x x X x X x X x X x X

The light seemed almost blinding. It had this air of exposure around it, and with its splendor, it also seemed quite annoying. _What is with this light?_ A pair of eyes opened to reveal chocolate-brown orbs, reflecting a look of confusion into the luminosity. "Where am I?"

Surprisingly, the light wasn't as blinding as it seemed. Just then, a series of images went through Davis's head, and he flinched slightly. He sighed, trembling, "Am I … dead?"

He wasn't exactly expecting an answer to come to him where he was, floating in a void of light. So he was shocked to hear a deep, but gentle voice say, "Of course, you're not dead."

Davis blinked in amazement, "Who is this?"

"That doesn't matter," that same voice replied. "What matters is … who are you?"

Davis felt more confused than ever. He was sure he was dreaming, but he knew better than that. So he opened his mouth to ask. "What do you mean by that?"

"You're certain you are Davis Motomiya, the leader of the Digidestined … but do you actually feel like that vigorous boy you once were?"

Davis kept silent. He didn't know who was speaking to him, nor did he care but the words that had spoken to him rang inside of him like bells. He didn't say anything, but kept listening to the voice as it continued.

"Your actions lately have prevented you from being who you are, and not only are you hurting yourself but your friends are also perishing greatly."

The scene around him changed and Davis gaped at the sight he was now greeted with. One by one, all his friends were getting eradicated by the threesome of Kaze, Rita and Cyrius. His heart started pounding against his chest as he watched in horror at the pain they were getting. Tai was on the ground, trembling as he tried standing back on his two feet and beside him he recognized, with a jolt, a wronged Veemon. His fists started shaking and he felt that familiar sense of burning in his chest, one he hadn't felt for so long. "NO!"

As soon as he said that, his chest swelled painfully and the scene dissolved around him, returning him to that same void. He looked around, feeling devastated. "What do I have to do to help them!?"

A long silence stretched out that at last, the voice managed to break. "Believe …"

Davis didn't have time to do anything else, for his chest started glowing brightly and looked down, he saw through the light, the embalming symbol of Miracles. A grin traced his features and all the cuts and injuries he had had earlier seemed to diminish slowly, leaving him greatly relieved. He felt something emerge in his right hand and when he looked down at it, he was astonished to see his screeching D3. Bewilderment of guessing who that voice must've belonged to flew out of his head as fear for his friends came rushing at him. His hair flew out behind him as a breeze modified his surroundings and he gripped his D3 firmly in his hands, his thoughts only for that of his friends. He closed his eyes, thinking hard. _I'm coming, guys._

X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x x X x X x X x X x X

"Kari, NOOOO!" Tai shouted, his voice a bit jagged. He watched frantically as his little sister was slowly pulled towards the portal by that same force which had plagued them all throughout their time here. He ran towards her but he knew he wouldn't reach her in time. She writhed helplessly, tears falling down her cheeks as she stared in fright at the world inside the portal. She could almost hear the creatures inside calling out to her, making her shudder terribly. "Tai!" she cried out to her brother who was darting towards her, his arm outstretched.

The others looked on, horrified at what could be the conclusion. They were so occupied that they didn't notice a strange golden glow emerging behind them, slowly growing brighter. It wasn't till the force pulling Kari seemed to have stopped, when everyone saw beams of that light from behind them, making them gasp out loud.

TK shook his head in disbelief, never taking his eyes off of the stature that had emerged from the debris, lustrously. "But how?"

There, poised highly upon the wreckage, was none other than Magnamon! His golden shields have out immense rays of light, shining out on all of them, and his red eyes blinked behind his face visor.

"This isn't true," Kaze murmured, aghast. He spoke up, his voice now shrill and … frightened? "It's not true! He can't have escaped! Impossible!"

"Magnamon," Ken said, a hint of contentment in his own strained voice. Not caring whether it was dangerous or not, he ran towards the Armor Digimon with Wormmon at his heels.

"Ken, wait!" Yolei made to follow him but Cody grabbed her wrist, giving her a forewarning look. She bit her lip and turned to watch her boyfriend reach Magnamon. Before Ken could get to Magnamon, he felt a heavy load smash into him, knocking him off balance. He fell on the ground on his side, grunting in the pain. "Damn it!"

Hearing everyone gasp again for some reason, he raised a brow. He pushed the weight off of him, only to look up to see the one person he was least expecting to see. "Davis?!"

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Author's Note: I really couldn't resist a cliffhanger. I feel really ashamed of myself; considering I hadn't really tried hard this time …  the next chapter will be better, though! I promise!

Cheerio!


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon…

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon…

Author's Note: I knew it. The last chapter stank! OK fine, I know I should've put in some more details, so for those of you who didn't understand chapter fourteen (I bet there are a lot of you!), here're the points to your misunderstanding.

1. Davis has three crests: Miracles, Courage and Friendship. I know he's used his Miracles crest only once, but in this condition, he feels the same as he felt when he wanted to beat the Digimon Emperor. Miracles represent him generally so that's why Magnamon appeared instead of the other two. And Veemon was kind of knocked out, so when Davis came into the fight, that's when he (Veemon) found the strength from his partner to Digivolve. My idea. :P

2. Rita and Cyrius are like puppets. Their powers are unidentified and they are a part of the darkness that plagues the Digidestined (oooh). Kaze is the real bad guy here, and Rita and Cyrius were just backing him up till the real moment to fight. They were still there in the previous chapters, but now their part in the story really comes into action.

Some parts in this chapter are entirely made by me, to go with the parts my OCs play. This will be the second-last chapter of this story. Don't worry, this is gonna be real long. I've been onto this ever since my exams had finished and now the new school year's started. I'll make sure this one's worth the wait!

--

Chapter Fifteen

Enter the Dark Ocean

"No! It can't be!"

Kaze watched with wide eyes as none other than the Digidestined of Miracles himself, Davis Motomiya stood up. Not only was he alive, but there wasn't even a scratch on him. As though he could feel Kaze's anger, Davis smirked.

"Thought you'd get rid of me, eh?" Davis said, his smile vanishing.

"You were supposed to be dead!" Kaze spat. He looked feral. "How did you escape?"

Davis shook his head a bit, "No, Kaze. You don't get it, do you? Those of us who have responsibilities never abandon them. At least not until they're finished … and the Digidestined, their responsibility of protecting the Digiworld hasn't ended yet, cause' we need to tear you down first …"

Kaze stared at him first, incredulously as if he didn't believe any of it. Then suddenly to everyone's surprise, he started laughing. Davis narrowed his eyes. He had a nagging feeling about this and his suspicion was confirmed when Kaze threw back his head, his cackle turning into maniacal laughter. The others stared at him with expressions that showed shock and confusion.

"I've underestimated you, Davis Motomiya!" Kaze said, grinning violently. "Oh, I will enjoy this now!"

Kari gasped, watching Kaze as a sort of red aura surrounded him. The air looked almost impenetrable and she felt herself drawing into it without any thoughts at all. "Kari!"

She felt Tai tugging at her arm, telling her to move away but she couldn't help herself. What was wrong with her? Her frayed skirt flapped around her, and her gashes seemed to burn from the intensity of the rays radiating from Kaze.

"N-noo!!" Ken sucked in his breath loudly and closed his eyes. He yelled out loud, his wounds smoldering him. They seemed even worse then when they first appeared.

"Magnamon!" Davis shouted, his panic rising as he saw his two friends. His partner, who was still standing in front of him, positioned himself into a fighting stance. He started blazing with a golden glow, stimulating his attack. "ATTAAACK!"

"Magna Blaster!" Magnamon launched his first attack at Kaze, and it looked to be impressive till it collided with the dark energy shield that had engulfed the latter. Davis swore loudly and before he could order another attack, immense bursts of energy shot out from behind him. He almost fell over from the impact it made with Kaze's guard, but managed to regain his composure. He turned around, his hair flying rapidly behind him to see Matt and TK standing behind him, the same look of determination held in each of their faces. Garurumon stood nearby, already having attacked, with his head thrust out towards the enemy, ready to assail again and Angemon was hovering overhead, looking magnificent, his staff held tightly in his angelic hands.

"We're still fighting, Davis!" TK shouted, as their eyes met. He sent him a smile and a thumbs-up. "You're not alone!"

Davis felt a grin playing at his lips and nodded back, knowing now for the first time that TK had been right all along. Now was the time to end all of this. And they were going to do it together. He wasn't alone. He had his friends beside him from the very beginning, but he was too absorbed in his enmity to see it.

He turned back to Kaze, who seemed to be getting broader each second, and all the more menacing. He turned his gaze to Magnamon and thrust his arm up in the air. "MAGNAMON!!"

Magnamon's armor started glowing brightly, signaling that he wasn't finished just yet. Tai and Kari turned away from Kaze forcefully as the concentrated light emitting from the large armor Digimon started glowing around the extent, which had become more like an arena with the attacks they had launched.. "Magna Blaster!" He unleashed a large number of energy bullets from his body, this time more violent and more faster than before. They struck the aura, making it quiver a bit, but it quickly recouped its fierce self-control. It looked more like a solid wall than just an air of power. Davis shook his head in frustration. Magnamon launched himself towards the wall of defense, raising his arms. It's speed was more superior than ever. Angemon appeared on his right, holding his lustrous staff with both hands. Garurumon leaped beside Magnamon on his left, running swiftly. His periwinkle fur shone against Magnamon's brightness, and he opened his mouth to release his attack. Rita and Cyrius quickly got in the way in their path, the two of them summoning their energy together, making one large energy ball. Magnamon and Garurumon crashed into them, now suddenly engulfed in a hyper sphere of gold and red. Angemon flew above them, now trying to aim his Hand of Fate at the dark shield that defended Kaze. Beams of sacred energy flew out from his fist, smashing hard against the wall. The floor trembled with the impact.

Davis frowned as he realized that they would need much more than just the help of those three Digimon. He looked towards his friends. He had never seen them in such a state before. They looked battle worn, and probably were. If it were any normal person in their state, he would've been long gone. But they weren't. Because they were Digidestined. And right now, they only had one goal in their mind … ; to protect the Digital World.

Tai looked intently at his protégé, and in his mind's eye, he could see himself standing there, beckoning them all to fight together, hand in hand. Beside him, Kari followed his gaze to where it landed on Davis. She studied him closely and watched the fire burn in his eyes. That same burn that was always fixed there all throughout their days. That burn that no doubt, brought them to where they were right now. And she knew, and believed with all her heart, that that burn would get them all out of here. As she kept staring at Davis, she felt a little of the strain that the malevolence atmosphere was putting on her, leave slowly. She felt that darkness that had been threatening her depressingly leave, welcoming greatly a mass of light. Something she knew she had all along.

"Alright, guys," Davis proclaimed. He looked at each and every one of them before continuing, making sure they all shared his grit. "We all wanted to defeat Kaze. I know you guys want to beat him just like I do, and no one can do this alone."

"Took you long enough to find out," Yolei scoffed, grinning all the same. Davis smiled.

"Exactly," he said. "We have to work together! I know just how much an idiot I was to walk out on you guys like that … and I'm sorry." Davis sighed. He raised a fist, clutching his D3. "So I know you guys still think I'm a major jerk, but we can take care of all that right after we beat Kaze - and those two as well! Are you with me?"

His dialogue was followed by cheers and cries of union, and which he grinned. He turned back to face the battle that had only just begun. He heard, with delight and contentment, the others as they called out at their Digimon, and felt even more elated as he watched their evolved forms rush out before him towards the enormous clash, occupied with flashes and beams. The only Digidestined that had stayed behind with him were Tai and Kari while the others were either hoisted onto their partners, or running alongside them. Gatomon also stayed back, seeing as she couldn't digivolve yet. Kari still didn't have her Digivice.

"Davis." The maroon-haired teen turned his head to look at Tai, who was staring back with a look that Davis often saw on his face every time he looked in the mirror. Tai smiled, "I'm proud of you. Looks like you're growing up each day …"

Davis shook his head, "Don't be proud with me now, Tai. We haven't won the battle yet, and it won't be over till we go in there and help em' out!"

Tai laughed, and held up his Digivice. "You've got that right! C'mon!"

He ran forward and Davis watched with joy as he climbed promptly onto Greymon, who had been standing waiting for his partner all along. He himself was about to go after him, but was suddenly stopped by a yank of his shirt from behind. He found himself whirled around and was jerked to a halt as he found himself staring into a pair of honey-brown eyes. Kari Kamiya was staring back, with a hard, blazing look in her face. Her right hand was clutched around the cuff of his collar, something that Yolei usually did often to threaten him.

"Kari, I -" he began apologetically, but before he could even start with what he wanted to say, Kari had pressed her lips against his. Davis stood there, paralyzed, his eyes wide with incredulity. Then they drooped down closed and then he was kissing her back, his arm around her, pulling her closer. Gatomon, who was standing beside them, groaned and rolled her eyes. It seemed after hours, years even that Davis heard a voice call him as though from a long distance away. _"Hey!"_

The two of them broke free and Davis looked up to see Yolei, sitting astride a hovering Aquilamon. She looked down at them with a knowing yet cynical look, and yelled, "There's a war going on here!"

"Oh," Davis and Kari both looked away from each other, blushing like mad. Aquilamon flew through the flying debris towards the clash. Kari gazed down at her hands, clasped together, trying to avoid looking at Davis, "Erm … I've sorta have a problem …"

"What's that?" Davis looked at her worried expression. His cheeks soon returned to their normal color, now that he knew that everything between them was made clear with that one kiss.

Kari finally looked up at him, "Gatomon can't digivolve. I still haven't got my Digivice back yet."

"Oh, right …" Davis looked down at Gatomon, whose expression looked strained and exasperated. He could tell she really wanted to fight. He knew he would definitely want to if he were in her position. At last, he came to a conclusion. "Fine. Gatomon, you can come with me … that way, you can aim a few attacks at those guys as well."

"Hm," Gatomon nodded, her big blue eyes reflecting the beams and shots from the battle. Davis turned back to Kari and put both his hands on her shoulders, looking intensely into her eyes. "Kari … I want you to go with TK. That way I know you'll be alright."

"Just because Gatomon can't Digivolve, it doesn't mean I can't take care of myself," Kari argued, frowning.

"Then how else will you be safe?" Davis said. "I would've let you of on your own if Gatomon could Digivolve, but she can't, so please, go with TK …"

Kari opened her mouth, but no words came out. Finally, she nodded, "Alright, I'll go with TK."

"Thanks, Kari," Davis smiled at her and let go of her shoulders. He looked at her Digimon partner, "C'mon Gatomon. Let's go."

He was about to turn away from Kari but then he felt her fingers brush against his arm. They felt soft, but they made him turn back to look at her. She was staring back, but with concern and anxiety. "Promise me you'll be safe …"

Davis closed his eyes briefly, and nodded while opening them. He squeezed her hand soothingly, "I promise …"

He gave her a smile before letting go of her hand and turning away to go into battle with Gatomon running alongside him. Kari watched them go and they soon disappeared in the waft of smoke and dust rising through the air. She sighed, her heart pounding against her ribcage. She had no idea what the outcome of all this would be; but she still had some hope.

"Kari!"

She blinked out of her stupor and turned her head to see TK. He looked worse than he did a few minutes ago, but she knew he bore the same feeling of hope that she felt. He held out his hand, "C'mon Kari!"

She nodded and took it, and together they immersed into battle alongside the others. Davis meanwhile had reached the heart of the clash, towards the place where Kaze was still swallowed up in dark energy. "How do we take this guy out?"

He stared intently at the dark ball of energy. Why was it taking this long for it to develop? _If he were any other enemy_, Davis thought, _he'd just burst out of the shield and attack us without faltering._

He could tell Cyrus and Rita were putting up a good fight. Even all of them together couldn't match up to their powers. This was a completely new challenge, and so far, Davis had no idea what to do about it.

"Where there's a will, there's a way," Gatomon spoke up beside him, surprising him. He glanced down at her, brows raised. She smirked and glanced at her gloved paws, "I'm sure you'll think of something."

"So I presume you've got a plan?" Davis asked, his hair catching the coils from the incoming assaults.

"You remember Jijimon? That Digimon that attacked us?"

Davis nodded, "Yeah. You told us he was alright before. What about him?"

"I remember during that battle we had with Myotismon long ago, Jijimon, like I, was with the enemy around that time. I joined up with the Digidestined, but Jijimon remained with Myotismon. He had no choice but to fight against us, but he sacrificed his life for our victory. How? He launched his Hang on Death attack, and the power within it was sent to me for my own attack. But I unfortunately couldn't use the attack, cause' it died out before it could reach me. I still managed to defeat Myotismon without it though, but it would've been much easier."

Davis nodded, listening intently.

Gatomon continued, "I panicked when he was about to use the attack on us cause' that attack is extremely powerful. He appeared the last time when the Digivices were reacting. If you use the idea of that situation to use in ours, and if Jijimon appears, I'm sure it could work out …"

Davis grinned widely, "Good idea, Gatomon!"

He turned to Magnamon, who was currently aiming a punch at Cyrus, sending small shockwaves off from the impact. "Magnamon! Over here!"

Magnamon stopped the assail, but made a mistake in pausing. As soon as he lowered his left arm, a beam of dark energy shot out from below him and he flew back into the air, away from an emerging Cyrus. Davis shouted out with his eyes wide. "NO, MAGNAMON!"

Cyrus had his arms engulfed in darkness, which flickered on and off like electrical energy. Davis watched in horror as the energy crawled over the man slowly, almost as if it was alive, wanting to take over. He immediately looked over at Rita and was not surprised, if even horrified, to see the same thing happening to her. She was previously in a clash with Stingmon, but had shot him with that same burst of energy. Stingmon now lay on the ground as Wormmon, stirring feebly. Rita smiled wickedly, her shades glinting from the eerie light gleaming within the energy around her.

"This doesn't look too good …" Gatomon said, glaring at the two of them.

Davis made a move towards the dark shield protecting Kaze, but yelped as he came in contact with what felt like water. Ice-cold water. Frowning, he looked down and was terrified to see dark water gushing out from beneath the tiles. He swore loudly in repulsion and looked around to see the others experiencing the same reaction. Gatomon hissed loudly, her fur standing up. Kari was beginning to tremble and TK had wrapped his arms protectively around her.

"What's happening?" Tai cried out. The same murky water was starting to stream through the walls as well, threatening to drown them all. Davis stepped back, his feet splashing as he did, away from the obscured Kaze and also Cyrus and Rita, who were now swallowed up in darkness before them. Davis then heard a shrill scream from behind him, and turning around, he shouted out in shock to see a slick, dark shape appear in front of Yolei, rising up through the water which was continuously pouring down on them.

Stingmon quickly flew in at that moment, using his Spiking Strike to cut through the creature. But as soon as it blew apart, another one emerged beside it. More shapes were starting to materialize from beneath the flooding floor and through the walls.

"What the hell are they?" TK cried out.

As soon as he had said that, they all felt the surroundings around them tremor brilliantly and with that upheaval came also an oddly peculiar light from deep within the shadowy screen around Kaze. Davis watched, his heart pounding wildly against his ribcage, as a large shape swooped up through the shield, finally breaking it. "Oh … man …" he muttered shakily, his eyes never leaving the growing form that towered over them. Suddenly, the ceiling split open, revealing the misty, dark sky swirling with colors of purple and blue. Davis shook his head in disbelief. He now realized they were in another place. A more frightful and indefinite place. A place that Kaze had transported all of them to. Magnamon and the other Digimon stopped fighting and were now watching in terror at the dreadful sight that had occurred. The creatures that had previously grown out of the floor had now moved towards Kaze, surrounding him. They trembled at his dominance but failed to defy.

"The Dark Ocean …" he breathed out.

"He's moved us here!" Gatomon said, her fur damp and matted. "He was transporting us all that time inside that shield and we didn't know!"

"Oh no …" Kari slowly knelt down, her hands involuntarily clutching her head. Her wet hair fell over her flushed face and she shivered hard. "I-It's happening again …"

"Kari," TK stooped down beside her and held her closely, "Snap out of it, please."

Davis glanced at her, his mind swimming with thoughts and searching for any conclusions. But he couldn't find anything. "This isn't good …"

"Digidestined …" came the thriving voice of Kaze, who stood immensely as the soaring figure. His features became more clear each second, more appalling, more daunting. His cloak was draped over his shoulders, and he wore liquefying armor, gleaming in the dim light from all around them. His dark lips stretched into a sickening smile, showing a little of his sharp teeth and his bristly dark purple hair covered almost half of his peculiarly pale face. His small eyes peeked out from under his tresses, the small pupil standing out amongst the white. "The time has come … enter my era of the Millennium."

Davis shook his head. He couldn't believe how stupid they were to not notice Kaze evolving and moving them away to the place they least expected to be in. His gaze moved over to Kaze's side, were Cyrus and Rita were still surrounded in that strange energy. He felt aghast at the thought of what they'd appear as when they came out. He looked back up at Kaze, and his feet trembled as he took a step forward, splashing through the water which was now knee-deep. "What have you done? Where are the other Digimon?"

"They are perfectly fine. Some more pathetic ones are deposited and the more useful ones are under my control, commanding my orders … creating havoc in your home. In the Real World …"

_That would explain the appearances of Jijimon and Apocalymon … _Davis thought darkly. _They were under his power. I thought there was something weird going on when they attacked us …_

"I really have taken you too lightly, Davis Motomiya," Kaze said abruptly, startling the said Digidestined. "It looks as if you are much smarter than you let on. You do catch on quickly don't you?"

"Yes, it was I, who ordered those two Digimon to attack you. I wanted to strongest, yet not only notorious Digimon out there to get rid of you Digidestined, but it looked like I was wrong to think of them as tough since they died out before they could get the job done."

"How did you open the portal to this place?" Tai asked, stepping up beside Davis.

"I used Kari Kamiya's D3 to open the portal. It was because of the connection she made with the Dark Ocean that I was able to do it successfully," Kaze said, glancing at Kari who was still kneeling down, managing to hold herself up feebly.

"What are you talking about? Kari has absolutely no connection to this place! None at all!" Davis shouted out fiercely. His eyes flashed in anger.

Kaze laughed, "Now that is where you go wrong, Davis Motomiya … she is the Queen of the Dark Ocean. You see these creatures around me? They are Scubamon, and they live in the Dark Ocean. They would not like to see her go … they'd go beyond limits to stop that from happening …"

"Kari is not staying!" TK yelled, from where he was bending, holding Kari. "NEVER!"

"Try telling that to them …" Kaze said, holding out his arm. As soon as he rose up his arm, the Scubamon around him charged forward towards the Digidestined.

"ATTACK NOW!" Davis bellowed and immediately, led by Magnamon, the Digimon dashed forward towards the oncoming Scubamon. He watched as they threw attack after attack at the dark creatures. From what he could make out, the Scubamon were weak and they could easily be destroyed, but there were many in number, and that was their disadvantage. From beside him, Gatomon turned and leaped towards Kari who was twitching brilliantly. He followed her and his heart sank when he approached Kari. Her face was pale and sweat was running down her forehead. "M-Make it stop!" she sobbed.

He knelt down in front of her and felt his pulse pace a few times faster. He breathed and raised his hands, placing them on either side of Kari's face. "Kari. Kari, look at me …"

"P-Please!" she yelled, tears streaming down her face.

"She's doing it again," TK said from next to them. Davis looked at him and the blonde said, "She's always reacted to the Dark Ocean this way. I don't know how or what she feels, but it doesn't look too good."

Davis turned back to Kari, "Kari, everything's gonna be alright. Everything will be fine."

"Davis, behind you!" TK shouted sharply, and Davis turned around to watch in horror a flickering energy bullet fly towards him from behind. He quickly pushed Kari to the floor and hurriedly crawled on top of her, careful not to crush her with his weight. Beside him, he saw TK run out of the way and Gatomon hurdle aside to dodge the nearing hit. Kari clutched the front of his shirt and buried her head into his chest, her nails digging into his skin. Davis held his breath as he felt the bullet roar past above him, barely scraping the surface of his school jacket.

He waited till it disappeared into nothingness, till he scrambled off of Kari. She had let go of him and was now yelling out painfully. "STOP IT!"

Davis watched her in panic, breathing fast. He then turned around and stood staring straight ahead at Kaze, who implausibly was staring straight back at him, his eyes gleaming evilly. He ran forward, ignoring TK's cries of protests and the commotion going on around him. He felt Tai rush past him the opposite way, probably to check up on Kari but Davis only had one objective in mind. To stop this all.

"Ken!" he shouted out to his best friend, who was standing a distance away from him. The latter turned around and his eyes met those of Davis's. He nodded, understanding what Davis was trying to say and grasped his D3 inside his pocket. He swept it out and held it up, "Let's get it on!"

Davis nodded unwaveringly, and thrust his D3 up in the air also. Far off, Magnamon had de-digivolved back into Veemon. He felt his heart pummel at his chest and was sure Ken felt the same pounding. He looked sideways and was satisfied to see ExVeemon flying towards them. "DNA Digivolution!"

"ExVeemon … Stingmon … DNA Digivolve to … PAILDRAMON!"

As soon as the Ultimate Digimon had appeared, a white light beamed outwards from inside him, swallowing him up.

"Paildramon DNA Digivolve to … IMPERIALDRAMON!"

"Alright, let's do it!" Davis said, his eyes flickering over to Kaze and back at the Imperialdramon, who was positioned wondrously in front of him.

Kaze looked to be enjoying the panorama that was taking place in front of him. The Digidestined were putting up a good fight, but they varied greatly in numbers. As soon as they annihilated one Scubamon, two more appeared in place of it. But he was more interested at the sight of the magnificent mega level Digimon flying towards him at full speed, the positron cannon on his back glowing brightly.

"Very well. If you want it that way …" Kaze said. He rose both arms up and tiny particles of light began surrounding his chained hands. His eyes started glowing scarlet and the two twisters on either side of him, clearly concealing Rita and Cyrius started glowing as well.

"Faster! Before he does anything else!" Davis shouted out, his voice echoing throughout the space. He then gasped as he saw the two glowing coils of energy move towards Imperialdramon, twisting all the more faster as it came closer to him. Davis shook his head in alarm. _If Cyrus and Rita are in those things, what'll happen if they collide with Imperialdramon?_

"Destroy it," Kaze ordered stridently.

"Imperialdramon, attack now!" Ken shouted, hastily.

"POSITRON LASER!" A blast of positron energy fired out from the cannon on Imperialdramon's back and just at the same moment, the dark twisters clashed against him, creating a mass explosion. Davis yelled out loud as Imperialdramon disappeared in a heap of smoke and seethe. The resulting noise was tremendous, and Davis felt himself being pushed back by the force collided with.

"HOLD ON!" Davis cried, squinting through the sleet of sand and water. He could see Ken trying to fight back against the current, but failing as he fell back on his backside, gritting his teeth in pain. Even Davis couldn't help himself collapsing hard on the ground, spraining his left ankle in the process. He lay on the wet ground for a long time, breathing difficultly with the force of the fall. A persuasive moment later, after collecting the remaining strength left within him, he sprang back up on his feet, bruised and battered, yet still firm on finishing this.

He peered through the thick atmosphere and was shocked to find Veemon and Wormmon both lying, scuffed, inside a crater that was formed in the midst of the collision. He looked around for the two twisters, but found no sign of them. _They must've been destroyed during the collision, _he thought, his eyes widening a bit.

"Those two had long before served my purpose," Kaze spoke out, making him look up sharply. "They should have been wiped out long ago … they couldn't even finish up a measly mega. I'm going to have to take care of this myself."

David flinched angrily and involuntarily walked forward, ignoring the stabbing pain in his ankle from his fall earlier. "You think you'll get rid of us this easy?"

"Davis, wait! Come back!" Ken called out from behind him but the latter ignored him and continued advancing onward, limping slightly. Davis laughed a little, shaking his head. His bangs got in the way of his eyes, shadowing them but one could tell what he was feeling right now as his shaking shoulders gave away everything. He stared back up at Kaze, his brown eyes hardening around the edges, "Just how long have you been hiding in your cozy little lair, huh? How long were you waiting for this?"

The others watched him, horrified and concerned all at once. They watched as he spoke on, his hands curling up into fists. "How weak do you think we are that you have to keep sending Digimon after us? They believed in you and – and you don't even care if they die out while they do what _you_ tell them to! Well, let me tell you something. We, the Digidestined, are still fighting. You may have been building up an army of slime balls without our notice, but we've been through this stuff! And we're not afraid to go through it again! Not for us, but for the world where Digimon live in peace and harmony, for those Digimon that have been destroyed by following you, and for those that have died fighting you!"

Davis breathed in heavily, still quivering in anger. He pointed upwards at Kaze, "There have been others before us, fighting … and we will take you down."

Kaze looked on, terrified to see a sort of silver glow around the boy, who so resolutely stood up against him. "What's happening?"

Davis bent his head downwards and the strange aura around him quivered imposingly.

Ken looked at his best friend, a strange familiar feeling building inside him. He felt his light-headedness fading and as the feeling grew stronger, he felt his D3 vibrating in his pocket as well.

"Fine then," Kaze glared down at them all, his eyes glowing harshly. "I'll enjoy a bit of a challenge."

--

Author's Note: Well, that's that with the fifteenth chapter. I'm really sorry it took such a long time upgrading the story, but I just couldn't seem to get on with writing it. But I finally did. Yeah, I added the Daikari moment I had been waiting to write and it turned out alright, I supposed. I guess you're all wondering why the Digidestined aren't dead yet, considering all they've been through (no food, no aid). That will be explained in the next, last chapter of the Digimon Millennium. Please, please, please review and tell me what you think of it!

Cheerio!


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